During a press conference held in Valetta today, BirdLife Malta introduced the organisation’s new Executive Director, Mr Paul Debono, to the media.

A dedicated environmentalist with a history of working for Greenpeace Mediterranean as the Finance Director and Executive Director between 2001 and 2005 as well as being an active volunteer of BirdLife Malta, Mr Debono holds a degree in Accountancy from the University of Hull.

Mr Debono was born to Maltese and German parents in Malta in 1966, lived in several countries including Switzerland, Denmark and United Kingdom and has been based in Malta since 1990. Prior to joining BirdLife Malta as the organisation’s new chief executive, he was the general manager of a German IT company based in Malta.

“I am honoured to be part of the highly professional team of BirdLife Malta which has grown significantly over the last few years. We will continue to raise the standards of our scientific research which is central to BirdLife’s conservation work,” said Debono.

“Our illegal hunting surveillance will continue to be one of our top priorities and we hope to see significant increase in the law enforcement efforts against these illegal activities that threaten not only Malta’s but also Europe’s avifauna,” Mr Debono concluded.

Conservation NGOs outgoing director Tolga Temuge who attended the press conference was thanked for his services over the last 5 years by BirdLife Malta’s President Joseph Mangion.

Mr Mangion reminded that BirdLife Malta is the only entity in Malta that managed to secure EU funds under the EU’s LIFE funding scheme since Malta joined the EU. This, he said, resulted in over half a million Euros from Brussels being diverted to Maltese economy spent on nature conservation in the Maltese islands.

BirdLife Malta also manages the Ghadira and Simar nature reserves under agreement with the government and is also co-managing together with Din l-Art Helwa and the Parks Department Malta’s biggest afforestation project, Foresta 2000 in Mellieha. BirdLife Malta together with its education partner Bank of Valletta is also running the Dinja Wahda environment education programme which reaches over 90% of all primary schools in Malta and Gozo.

The organisation’s outgoing Executive Director, Tolga Temuge, who held the post between June 2006 and December 2010, thanked the Council, staff, members and volunteers of BirdLife Malta for their trust and the support they have given to him.

“My experience in Malta showed me that the country’s environment will only be properly protected when the politicians realise that what they see as political challenges can actually become opportunities. By maintaining status quo for their personal political interest, whether it is on spring hunting or illegal occupation of the countryside, they are actually harming Malta’s tourism economy and causing severe damage to what is left of the islands fragile ecosystem,” said Mr Temuge.

BirdLife Malta, established in 1962, is Malta’s oldest environmental NGO. It will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. Mr Debono is the organisation’s third director.

Photo shows Paul Debono Seated to the left of Joseph Mangion.

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