This morning BirdLife Malta welcomed Joseph Muscat to Ghadira Nature Reserve, where the Labour Party leader was given a guided tour and the opportunity to see first-hand the positive results that have been achieved for birds and wildlife through the restoration and management of habitats at the internationally important wetland.

During the tour of the reserve Dr Muscat and Labour candidates Silvio Parnis, Stefan Buontempo and Jason Micallef, had the chance to indulge in a spot of bird watching from one of the hides, where bird-watchers who were present pointed out about 100 House Martins (early spring migrants) swooping over the lake catching insects, as well as some of the reserve’s resident wading birds.

BirdLife Malta’s Executive Director, Steve Micklewright, said he was pleased that Dr Muscat had accepted the invitation to visit the reserve, because, “it shows that Labour are willing to engage with conservation organisations and recognise the value of BirdLife Malta’s work for bird and nature conservation.”

But the visit was also an opportunity for BirdLife to put some hard questions to Dr Muscat, particularly about his (and PL’s) stance on issues of wildlife protection, law enforcement and safe access to the countryside, which have been the focus of the ‘Your Voice Counts’ campaign.

Asked about his intentions regarding derogations of the EU Birds Directive, Dr Muscat said that “Labour would continue to apply the derogations that were currently applied – meaning spring hunting would continue” – but BLM said, the Labour Leader “avoided giving a definitive answer to whether and end to ‘gold plating’ of wildlife protection laws would mean the removal of a ban on hunting after 3pm during the peak of autumn raptor migration.”

While claiming that no illegal hunting would be tolerated by a Labour government, BLM said that “Dr Muscat admitted that Labour would revoke the €50 fee for the ‘special spring hunting licence,’ but didn’t say where funds to pay for the increased enforcement required to tackle illegal hunting would come from.”

During the meeting, Mr Micklewright also talked about the health and recreational benefits to people of having access to natural spaces and countryside, pointing out that, Maltese people suffered from the third highest rate of obesity in Europe.

Asked if, in light of this, he agreed that hunting should be banned in public Nature Parks, such as Majjistral, to make them safe for the public to use, Dr Muscat remained non-committal, saying that there had to be “compromise.”

BLM said that he was, however, “intrigued” by a proposal put forward by Mr Micklewright for the creation of a Nature Reserve in the south of Malta, like the two- Ghadira and Is-Simar, in Xemxija- managed by BirdLife in the north of the island.

Find out more about BirdLife Malta’s ‘Your Voice Counts’ campaign at www.birdlifemalta.org.

A statement by the Labour Party, Joseph Muscat said that “a new Government will be considering the setting up of a Wildlife Crime Unit, whose remit will be specifically the enforcement of laws with respect to the environment.”

The PL Leader added that a new Government’s position will be “absolutely against illegal hunting and added that a new Government will be acting in conformity with the established derogations and there will be no further negotiations to change the current agreement.”

Joseph Muscat mentioned the letters sent by Lawrence Gonzi to hunters prior to the last general election; and emphasized that the “PL is being completely clear and honest with hunters and trappers.” Muscat reiterated that Maltese hunters should have “the same rights as other hunters across Europe.”

The Labour Leader also said that a new Government will be “exploring the possibility of a natural reserve, similar to the one in Ghadira, in the South of Malta.”

Photo – Labour leader, Joseph Muscat and BirdLife Malta Executive Director, Steve Micklewright.

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