Updates: In 2006 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) launched a campaign to plant of one billion trees to reverse sustainability problems, resulting in 7 billion trees planted in cities all over the world by 2009

Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar in a statement today said it “condemned the fact that Gozo is reversing all talk of Eco-Gozo by destroying its urban trees.”

FAA stated that “Qala’s controversial plan was resisted by residents and the local church, however Victoria Local Council has been granted a permit to uproot all the trees that draw tourists to it-Tokk, provide shade and reduce pollution in this highly-polluted area.”

“Replacement of mature trees by potted shrubs is no compensation, as trees cannot grow and function fully in pots – indeed the minimum soil requirement for small trees is 17cubic metres while the average tree planter volume is 1cubic metre,” FAA said.

The NGO pointed out that “the reason that EU funds are being used to uproot trees is supposedly to discover archaeological remains beneath the square, however it is intended to re-seal the square after excavations.”

FAA therefor asked, “are the trees being removed to make way for more cafes as happened elsewhere in Gozo?”

“Nadur Local Council has just started uprooting all the trees that embellished its squares in a so-called ’embellishment plan,’ claiming that the trees were damaging house drains, however root damage is no excuse as it can be prevented by root-guards in use all over Europe.

“It is being claimed that the Nadur trees are being immediately replanted. In order to survive replanting, trees have to specially prepared for months, and not roughly pulled out of the ground with a crane as the Nadur trees were. Furthermore the claim that the trees are being replanted immediately is belied by the fact that the uprooted trees are presently languishing in the sun in a builders’ yard,” FAA said.

FAA added that “it is incredible that local councils do not appreciate the value of trees for residents’ health. Leaves remove various dust pollutants from the air and absorb carbon from Gozo’s busy and polluted streets. Trees reduce the health problems related to air pollution, limit exposure to UV rays which is linked to skin cancer and diminish mental health problems by reducing stress.”

“Tree shade can reduce the temperature of walls and roofs by 11-25ºC, resulting in as much as 45% reduction in cooling costs. Trees also reduce the need for winter heating by shielding houses from wind. By catching rainfall and absorbing it into their soil-beds, urban trees reduce storm water flooding and replenish the aquifer. Studies have found that landscaping increases retail business and adds 5-10% to residential property values.”

“The fact that trees and shrubs can reduce urban noise by 3 – 10 decibels, is a definite plus for residents of Pieta where the Transport Malta road project has retained the existing trees.” FAA said it calls on TM to go the extra mile and replace the trees that have gone missing over the years.

FAA stated that “while Central Government in Malta is improving its treatment of trees, Gozitan councils are betraying their residents’ interests and health with this destruction of trees; it is shameful that MEPA should have granted permits for these damaging projects which undermine the quality of life that it is supposed to protect.”

Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar continued by saying that it “condemns the fact that both these EU projects contravene basic EU requirements on sustainability; projects should not be planned for the sole benefit of road contractors – better planning would ensure that residents’ health comes first.”

FAA called for the “immediate suspension of this project in order to ensure that the remaining trees in Nadur ‘s squares are saved.”

Update:

The Parliamentary Secretariat for European Funds said in reply that it wished to clarify that removal of trees in the main square of Victoria is not part of the cost of the upgrading project being planned in the same square which is being financed through EU funds.

Furthermore, the project and the European funds allocated, are subject to a permit required by MEPA. The Secretariat said that it is also informed that this permission was refused by the Authority. “It seems that the Local Council is to appeal this decision.”

The secretariat added that it is committed to “projects undertaken by European funds should not have a negative impact on the environment.”

The Government, it said, was committed to ensure that the best use was made of these funds especially during this period when most of the projects in the 2007-2013 programme were being concluded.

The Nadur council said in a statement it is the final stages of initiating the first phase of embellishment work om St Peter and St Paul in Nadur.

This work is done under the permit issued by MEPA for application number PA 1458/2009, the Council said.

Part of the project involved the uprooting of trees that were in the Square, and which are being replanted in other places in Nadur including that known as Ta’ Bordin, where the Council is also planting a large number of other trees, it said.

The council said this because these trees were causing “massive damage to residential homes with their roots so that residents had to replace the tiles and have had their drainage systems continuously blocked..

Some of the trees were being replanted in the square itself in “contained underground planters,” this is shown in the plans approved by MEPA, the Council said.

“Contrary to the claims by FAA, the trees,” the council said, “were uprooted yesterday and were being replanted today.

The council said it favours the planting of more trees and in recent years it has planted thousands of trees in Nadur and offered schemes for farmers which led to the planting of more than 5,000 olive trees in Nadur valleys. These types of schemes will continue the Council said..

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