Nature Trust Malta,in a statement on Monday regarding the Budget 2021, said that it “demands a commitment for the Environment of the Maltese islands after decades of neglect.”

Referring to a media report that shows that Malta ranked 52 out of 60 destinations on environmental sustainability, Nature Trust – FEE Malta, commented that it is not at all surprised at this outcome.

It argued that “for the last two decades our natural environment has been neglected by every administration in power. Greed has taken over sustainable development interests, and green open spaces have been taken up by over-development.”

“Air quality levels have gone down due to our politicians’ lack of vision and strategy on sustainable transport, village cores have been lost with trees chopped down for more roads and unsightly high-rise buildings,” NTM said.

It stressed that “law enforcement has always been and still remains little more than a joke with regard to environmental laws in Malta.”

“As for the phrase ’sustainable development.’, it has been misused in every possible way, with only the economy being put on a pedestal, completely forgetting the social and environmental dimensions,” stated NTM.

NTM highlighted the fact that, “today, the few remaining green areas and Natura 2000 sites face a multitude of problems which include development pressures, pollution, illegal dumping and littering, off-roading, and squatters taking over some of the best natural areas as their own without any title.”

The Covid situation has brought the economy to its knees, said NTM. “While other countries are trying to develop new areas to attract eco-tourism, and heritage tourism when the situation starts to return to normal, all we are doing is helping Malta lose the charm it had with its beautiful characteristic buildings, intriguing landscapes and endemic and unique biodiversity.”

It stated that, “even the diving industry, one of the main tourism attractions of Malta, is today facing many challenges through illegal fishing. Our marine ecology is left to fend for itself without any enforcement of protective laws and regulation, and is being heavily impacted by littering on the coast and at sea, coastal erosion and development, and degradation of the seabed.”

The only green areas that are still struggling to maintain their beauty are those sites managed by NGOs, NTM said. “They give give their all to save these sites and leave them to be enjoyed by the public in present and future generations, often without any enforcement support from the authorities.”

Nature Trust – FEE Malta urged the authorities to “honestly start putting the environment and social issues higher on the agenda and at par with the economy. We have lost too much already. If the government is stating that the coming budget will give attention to the environment, we hope to honestly see this.”

NTM argued that, “in every past budget for at least the last twenty years, financial support for the environment was a poor exercise in whitewashing.”

“We want to see concrete results in the preservation of the few green open and protected spaces that remain. We want to see better air quality and sustainable means of transport, not more roads. We want to have better planning and not shabby and incongruous construction. Most of all, we demand a political will for proper law enforcement and action,” stated NTM.

Photo by Alain Salvary

Permalink: NTM demands a commitment for the environment “after decades of neglect”