The Malta Ranger Unit said that at the end of June it reported its concerns to the Environment & Resources Authority about heavy machinery in the valley of Mgarr ix Xini, Gozo.

The ERA told the Ranger Unit that that it would be looked into and it was then confirmed that there is a Planning Authority application (PA/03136/20) to “rehabilitate, clean up the valley and carry out other maintenance work.” The application was submitted on behalf of the Gozo Ministry.

The MRU said that ”seeing that whole stretches of valley have been wiped out from all vegetation (even the rock walls seem to have been scraped), made us question if the permit requirements were adhered to.”

The MRU stated that ”although we, as a Conservation NGO, agree with works to remove invasive alien species, we are expressing concerns about how this project is carried out.”

It added that ”we know that the valley hosted a lot of wildlife and seeing the extent of the works, the safeguarding of such wildlife is questioned.”

The Malta Ranger Unit expressed its hope that the ERA ”will evaluate the method statement submitted and make sure it’s adhered to, and if not that the ones in charge would face consequences.”

Photos: Malta Ranger Unit

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