Gozo road widening will destroy Marsalforn nature and agriculture, FAA

Flimkien għal-Ambjent Aħjar and the archaeological society Malta-Arch are spearheading a protest against a road-widening project on the Marsalforn Road, which will lead to the uprooting of over 230 trees and destroy agricultural land and natural habitats.

FAA lan Mata-Arch ed a 50-person natura excursion into into Wied tal-Grazzja on Sunday, 21 April 2024, where ethnobiologist Timothy J. Tabone led the group down the country road that is to be widened and straightened.

Tabone identified the many threatened indigenous trees, including the Narrow-Leaved Ash and White Poplar, among Malta’s most highly-protected, that are not indicated on the landscaping plans submitted by the Ministry for Gozo and approved by ERA.

“These large old trees dominate the landscape, and it is hard to understand how the Ministry for Gozo or ERA could have missed them,” said FAA coordinator Astrid Vella.

“Outrageously, the ERA screening concludes that the project did not require an Environment Impact Assessment, as it provided no ‘significant environmental impact’.

 “Needlessly widening the road will have a huge environmental impact. These trees play a critical role in filtering out air pollutants and combating Climate Change. The project will also destroy rare natural habitats for threatened species. Finally, removing the trees and green spaces threatens the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of Gozo’s residents,” Vella said.

Tabone guided the walkers into Wied tal-Grazzja, where he explained how the project would devastate habitats critical to indigenous species, such as the Moorhe, an endangered waterbird.  

Rare plants, such as the Bulrush and Sea Clubrush are also of grave conservation concern. These species grow near flowing freshwater streams, already a scarce resource in Malta and Gozo, making them especially vulnerable to the road-widening project.

“Even if their habitats are not completely wiped out, the influx of heavy vehicles, machinery and construction materials poses threats to their survival when their protection should be a top priority,” Tabone said.

Tabone said the ‘fluff’ of the Bullrush often was used to bind wounds, while the Mediterranean Star Thistle or ‘Xewk tal-Għotba’ was widely employed to treat Brucellosis. The White Hedge-Nettle, also known as ‘Te Sqalli’, was historically used as a tea substitute by poor communities, especially during World War II. Additionally, non-indigenous plants like the Loquat fruit trees – popularly know as ‘naspli’, played important roles in providing food.

FAA has condemned the road project, criticising its lack of transparency and accountability from the start. A €9 million tender awarded to Prax Ltd – a company owned by Nadur developer Joseph Portelli and his close Gozitan associates – was granted years before the permit was even issued.

“The claim that the road was being reconfigured to improve safety, was belied by the police confirmation that the road does not have a track record of serious traffic accidents or congestion. Everyone at the meeting agreed that the road is never congested and that the claim was a mere cover-up designed to funnel more money to the developers,” Astrid Vella said.

“This so-called ‘upgrade’ will transform an idyllic road and landscape into a dangerous motorway serving no one’s interest, other than the developers and their political cronies. It must be halted immediately,” added Dawn A. Saliba of Malta-Arch.

Vella said that claims from the government that the road needs to be upgraded to match European Trans-European Transport Network (Ten-T) standards were ludicrous as this applies to major trade routes, which Vella insisted was not the case with Marsalforn. “Furthermore, this project, co-financed by the European Union, blatantly contravenes EU measures aimed at combating climate change. It destroys countryside at a time when millions of euros are being allocated to return land to the wild.”

The Gozo Ministry however has denied that the road upgrading project is EU-funded.

“Over the past weeks, the Ministry for Gozo and Planning had a cordial meeting with representatives of Din l-Art Ħelwa and the Gozo Regional Council, it was agreed that the main characteristics of Marsalforn Road – trees in the central strips and the side of the road – will be retained,” the Gozo Ministry said. “Despite the government having approved planning permission for the project, it has already updated its construction drawings following consultations with both entities. The Ministry for Gozo and Planning would like to remind that the contractor entrusted to carry out the works on Marsalforn Road has won a public tender issued by the Department of Contracts.”