Nature Trust (Malta) has said that it fully commends President Coleiro Preca for her Republic Day speech in which she voiced her opinion about the ills facing our nation.

“Many planning applications are being granted without holistic long term views on the impacts these are leaving on our landscape and our health. Any illegal structure, both in ODZ or in urban areas, especially Urban Conservation Areas, are being sanctioned rather then reversed to their original state,” said NTM.

“Our children are fast losing our countryside. Quarries should be rehabilitated into parks and not doomed as industrial stores. Although agricultural areas are a welcome alternative, much agricultural land is fast being lost to competition from imported products. Small ODZ rooms are fast being converted into residences and stealing away the countryside landscape from our future generations.”

Nature Trust (Malta) stated that “it is about time the legislation governing the new Planning Authority is reviewed with immediate effect as it is clear that much of ODZ development is allowing urban sprawl through the Planning Commission. This commission is a minor board to the Planning Authority and has no representative from eNGOs.”

The organisation said that it also commends giving children a voice as it falls in line with the EkoSkola objectives, which it runs in schools across Gozo and Malta. EkoSkola is part of the International EcoSchools programme run by the Foundation for Environmental Education.

“Children make up the future of our country and giving them a voice promotes self-esteem and self-worth. In this way children develop and learn that they are important and valued which also plays a large role in how a child learns and contributes to the society they form part of,” said NTM.

Photograph: DOI/Pierre Sammut

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