High Court blocks Galilee vacation home project that endangers rare bat nesting cave

Court finds planners did not take into account potential ecological damage and says obligation to preserve nature for entire public trumps company’s economic interests

The High Court of Justice has blocked the planned construction of a vacation village in the Upper Galilee, ruling that the project could harm a nearby cave that is an important nesting site for three species of endangered bats, the Haaretz daily reported Saturday.

According to the report [Hebrew], the court rejected the appeal of the Hemdat Hagalil company that was behind the project and accepted the ruling of the District Court, which had canceled their building permission.

The company had received permission to build 32 units some 80 meters (260 feet) from the cave over a decade ago. The permission expired after five years and when Hemdat Hagalil tried to renew it, they were opposed by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.

SPNI has been leading a campaign to review old building permits that did not take into account ecological damage.

SPNI experts expressed concern that the construction would destabilize the ground near the cave and divert the flow of water into it. The cave is considered an important nesting site for the bats.

After the District Court sided with SPNI, Hemdat Hagalil appealed to the High Court, arguing that the planning commission had taken into account the impact on the bats and that it had not been proven that the construction would harm the cave or the bats.

However, the High Court rejected the appeal with Judge Ruth Ronen finding that the original planning permits did not take into account the new information regarding the potential damage to the cave and its bat population, Haaretz reported.

Judge Dafna Barak-Erez concurred with Ronen, writing that while economic development was important, “in addition to these considerations we must remember the importance of safeguarding dwindling natural treasures for the sake of the entire population.”

Israel is home to 30 species of bats with 29 of them considered endangered and protected under Israeli law. The insect eaters are considered a crucial part of the ecosystem.