BirdLife demands end of illegal occupation of countryside

BirdLife Malta published a map that illustrates the huge increase in the area of countryside that would be safely accessible to the public if Malta's nature protection areas were designated as "no-hunting zones".

The map shows Malta and Gozo's Natura 2000 protected sites, which BirdLife Malta said should be designated as no-hunting areas, along with the areas in Malta and Gozo currently designated as Bird Sanctuaries, where hunting and trapping are prohibited.

These amount to 5% of the land area of the Maltese islands, the largest such "sanctuary" being Malta International Airport. Other areas designated as Bird Sanctuaries include Marsa Golf Course and Ta' Qali Airfield.

BirdLife also issued its second banner from the "Your Voice Counts" campaign, which asks members of the public to demand action from politicians on wildlife and countryside issues.

The banner depicts PN leader Lawrence Gonzi and his Labour counterpart Joseph Muscat, gagged with stickers bearing the letters RTO over their mouths.

BirdLife Malta's Executive Director Steve Micklewright said:  "For years hunters and trappers have been allowed to rule the roost in the Maltese countryside."

He noted that successive governments, both Labour and Nationalist, "have not only turned a blind eye to illegal occupation, development and restriction of public access, but have actually defended and even rewarded such activities by Malta's hunters and trappers by creating "hunting reserves" on public land."

BirdLife said the banner refers to the proliferation of illegal signs and graffiti in the Maltese countryside proclaiming public areas to be "Privat" or "Riservato" and the leaders' apparent unwillingness or inability to speak about this and other issues relating to wildlife and the countryside in their election campaigns.

As part of its "Your Voice Counts" campaign, BirdLife is asking the public to demand an end to the illegal occupation of the countryside and the banning of hunting and trapping in "nature protection areas" and for all sites that meet the criteria to be given protected status.

The proposals would see the area of the countryside where hunting and trapping is prohibited increase by more than 320 per cent, from 1,686 hectares to 5,455 hectares.

"This would go a long way to improving safe public access to the countryside and protection for Malta's birds and other wildlife, while still leaving hunters and trappers free to practice their hobby in most parts of the countryside," Micklewright said.

The organisation pointed out that 15% of the land area of the Maltese Islands (or 4,836 hectares) is currently protected as Natura 2000 sites due to their international importance for biodiversity.

BirdLife stressd that almost all of these protected nature areas are, or should be, accessible to the public, either by public roads and footpaths, or as nature parks and reserves.

"They have been created to protect important habitats, flora and fauna, including birds, while allowing people to make use of the sites for recreation and education," the statement read.

"Yet, although one third of these protected nature areas have been given their protected status often because of their importance to wild birds, in 85% of Malta and Gozo's Natura 2000 sites, the practices of shooting and trapping wild birds continue to be permitted, despite the obvious harm these activities inflict on wildlife and biodiversity, not to mention the danger they pose when practiced in close proximity to other members of the public."

One of the sites that would be affected if politicians did adopt the changes being proposed by BirdLife is Majjistral Nature and History Park, the NGO said. It added that on more than one occasion in the past, school visits have had to be cancelled during the hunting season due to safety fears.

Micklewright said: "With hunting and trapping currently possible in 80% of the Maltese countryside and natural areas being at such a premium there is no justification for continuing to allow these activities in protected areas."

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