Nature Trust (Malta), on the eve of the National budget, has once again called on the Minister of Finance to allocate funds for Biodiversity protection in the Maltese Islands and an adequate vote for law enforcement when it comes to nature protection.
For the last eight years, the environmental NGO has been suggesting year after year that government should allocate funds from the national budget towards the protection of our natural heritage. While the NGO acknoweledges that thanks to the EU some environmental sectors such as waste management and waste water teatment have improved considerably, yet when it comes to biodiversity this still holds a low position in governments agenda.
2010 happens to be the International year dedicated to Biodiversity. 2010 has nearly passed and very little has been done to improve the state of our natural heritage in our island except a few sporadic activities. Despite the good list of protected species, today very few are even aware of this and in some cases it still is common to see the law being broken by eg people catching tadpoles and frogs, cutting wild flowers that are protected, catching chameleons and hedgehogs etc.
Habitats are being lost by illegal development, valleys and natura 2000 sites are victims of illegal dumping and toxic waste, squatters still occupy public land that is ecologically sensitive, illegal shooting of protected birds, etc Both Police and Environmental wardens never take any action in these areas.
NTM said it calls on government to allocate funds for the following areas:
· A nationwide educational campaign of protected species and sites
· Human resources for the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit within the Police Division is adequate
· Setting up of Rangers or Environmental wardens with executive powers to patrol natural 2000 sites on a regular basis
· Support to Ngos who embark in projects for nature protection ensuring an efficient process by mepa when EU funding is involved
· Funding for the implementation of the National strategy for sustainable development
Furthermore NTM said that it calls for more incentives for renewable energy in households and also towards incentives and a national strategy for a clean means of transport encouraging also citizens to go for cleaner own transport making the purchase of hybrid cars much cheaper
Malta can be an example to the EU in environmental management but for this to happen Malta and the Maltese authorities need to have a high environmental political agenda and commitment, the NGO concluded.