The Minister of Environment and Nature Protection, Mihael Zmajlovic, said on Wednesday that the size of the Ecological Network in Croatia, which covers 37 per cent of the country's surface area, was not open to negotiation.
"The surface area of the Ecological Network is determined solely according to scientific criteria and bio-geographic factors, while socioeconomic criteria have nothing to do with it," Zmajlovic said in Radoboj where he opened the Environmental Education and Promotion Centre.
Zmajlovic said he disagreed with lobbying groups who see the size of Croatia's Ecological Network, which will become part of the EU-wide Natura 2000 network of environmentally protected areas, as an obstacle to further development.
"Croatia is joining the European Union with a great wealth of biodiversity. On the one hand, it is a great benefit, but on the other it is also a great responsibility. I wish to draw the attention of critics to one fact: last year the European network Natura 2000 generated a profit of between 200 and 300 billion euros," the minister said.
Zmajlovic said that Natura 2000 was an instrument of ensuring sustainable development, noting that any work within the Ecological Network would be possible only subject to procedures provided for under the law.
