The Ministry for Tourism, Culture and the Environment, and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) have published the draft National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for public consultation.

This proposed national strategy defines a comprehensive framework for safeguarding Malta’s biodiversity over the period 2012 to 2020, as required by the National Environmental Policy. Malta’s NBSAP is also intended to contribute towards the national implementation of the Global Strategic Plan on Biodiversity under the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2020.

Minister Mario de Marco said that the main purpose of the NBSAP is to serve as a national policy driver to integrate biodiversity measures into relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies, especially those that can have a bearing on Malta’s biological and natural resources.

The Minister explained that biodiversity plays an important role in strengthening the environment, social and economic sectors. He said that safeguarding biodiversity has a positive impact on the standard of living and on sectors such as tourism that are central for generating commercial activity and employment. On the other hand, such sectors must continue to develop in a sustainable manner and in ways that respect biodiversity and enrich our environment. It is therefore important that biodiversity is integrated in the relevant policies that directly or indirectly effect biodiversity.

The document proposes 19 national targets to be achieved by 2020, strategic directions seen as pre-requisites for reaching the targets, and a suite of focused, action and outcome-oriented measures grouped under 18 thematic areas. The achievement of these targets will necessitate broad participation and collective action in order to secure implementation of the proposed 82 measures set out in the NBSAP.

The Director of Environment Protection at MEPA, Petra Bianchi, said that “while significant positive steps have been made over the last few years, protecting our biodiversity is a big challenge.

The long- term vision of the strategy is that all Maltese citizens should value the importance of biodiversity. All sectors of the community should contribute to improve the status of biodiversity, through efforts aimed at sustainable and more resource-efficient choices.

The strategy aims at improving the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic biodiversity, as well as by reducing pressures on biodiversity and promoting sustainable use.”

Malta’s NBSAP builds on a stock taking exercise, which was carried out in consultation with relevant Ministries, in order to identify further opportunities and areas of work to secure progress towards reaching both national goals for the environment and the 2020 global and EU targets on biodiversity.

The inter-ministerial consultation on the first draft of the NBSAP has been concluded and the draft of the NBSAP is now available for a six-week public consultation process. Such consultation is necessary for establishing the set of practical and implementable measures that reflect national aspirations for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and other environmental goals, in the Maltese Islands.

The document in full is available for download here.

Suggestions and contributions may be sent to biodiversity.strategy@mepa.org.mt by the 10th April 2012.

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