Management plans for Malta's Natura 2000 protected sites are to be introduced in the next few weeks, Environment Minister Jose Herrera said today. 

The plans have been drafted by the Environment and Resources Authority following months of consultation with various stakeholders, the minister said. 

Plans for 22 sites were presented for public consultation in July 2015 - a full 10 months after the board at the now-defunct Mepa had approved them. Despite the presentation, no budget was allocated for the management of the sites. 

And as far back as 2011, the government was boasting of having secured EU funding to establish plans for all sites within three years. 

Malta's 34 Natura 2000 sites cover 13.5 per cent of Malta's territory. Natura 2000 is an EU-wide network of protected areas, offering a haven to Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. It is the largest such coordinated network in the world. 

Dr Herrera said the government was determined to place conservation and environmental management on the national agenda. 

He was speaking after attending a ministry activity organised for World Environment Day. First organised in 1974, WED is the United Nations' most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for environmental protection. This year's host nation is Angola. 

Animal rights parliamentary secretary Roderick Galdes was also present. Dr Galdes said that that the government had a zero tolerance policy when it came to the illegal wildlife trade. 

A Wilf Birds Regulation Unit established in 2013 was working well, he said. So much so, that in the coming weeks it would be creating a new fund for the conservation of wild birds, Dr Galdes said.