There are just under 1,000 buildings that are earmarked for scheduling this year on the basis of their historical, architectural, cultural, contextual, archaeological or ecological value, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said in Parliament yesterday.

Answering a question by Nationalist MP Ċensu Galea, Dr Gonzi said there were 85 parish churches, 52 archaeological sites, 26 old buildings and 59 other properties. There are currently three proposals by the Directorate of Planning for the scheduling of Miżieb Valley, Ta’ Ċenċ and Għajn Żejtuna Valley.

Besides, he added, there were other proposals for scheduling of natural heritage that were at a less advanced stage. These involved the caves of Bengħajsa, Dwejra, the rest of the coastline of Gozo and other zones in Malta that were of ecological or scientific importance.

Dr Gonzi said that scheduling natural heritage involved surveys to ensure that the scheduling kept to the existent peripheries of each place, as well as the evaluation of literature and other relevant information about ecosystems, geology, geomorphology and landscape.

He added, with an exclamation mark, that because of lack of human resources all the work on proposals for scheduling natural heritage had to be done by just one person.