Petra Bianchi: Eco-warrior extraordinaire

After a bit of a run in with Wesley, the gorgeous tal-kacca dog guarding the Bianchi residence, we settled down in the garden of her home on a pleasant Friday evening. The old Zebbug town house is beautifully restored, combining the traditional features of the splendid Maltese architecture with modern comforts.

Bianchi immediately launches into a brief history of Din l-Art Helwa, emphasising on how their aims and objectives are still the same today as they were since their launch in 1965 – to safeguard Malta’s national heritage and natural environment for the enjoyment of future generations.

“The organisation was set up with both these issues in mind, though in the past have focused more on national heritage. Environmental concerns have become more forefront in the eye of the public and thus these issues have become more pressing.”

Bianchi talks about the need for long term vision when it comes to planning environmental issues, such as the use of the underground water table, limestone, land use and alternative energy among others.

“Each issue primarily requires some sort of vision, then laying out of objectives and allocating resources efficiently to reach the desired effect.”

Here she heavily criticises the government saying that the vision simply is not there, objectives are shaky at best, and resources are badly managed, so much so that our few natural resources are over-exploited to the point that if something drastic is not done soon then there will be nothing left to protect.

Bianchi is concerned about the natural water table. Over extraction of fresh water through bore holes creates a loss of pressure in underground reservoirs, encouraging the intrusion of sea water which will eventually render fresh water useless due to high salinity. British geologist Gordon Knox has predicted this will occur as soon as 2025.

She offers alternatives in the treatment of wastewater to second-class fresh water that although will not be drinkable, can be used for irrigation. Questions of price, quality and distribution need to be addressed so that this alternative can be exploited in a feasible manner.

Limestone is another finite, non-renewable resource that bears protecting. “The pale yellow colour limestone lends to the buildings in Malta is part of our heritage and it would be a shame exhaust this resource that has been associated with our buildings over the centuries.

“At the moment there is are no mechanisms in place to reduce waste of limestone. Buildings are being demolished and perfectly useable limestone is simply being discarded. Recyclability is not even considered. Government needs to be providing incentives for recycling limestone now.”

Targets to be met are steep due to the inactivity in the past. Some targets are set by the nature of the resources we are using. When dealing with finite resources we have to ensure that they will last as long as possible.

“It is predicted that limestone will run out in just 30 years. If we do not do something about it now there won’t be anything to be done later as there will be nothing left.”

Other targets are set by the EU. By 2020, 20% of our energy is to come from renewable sources yet we still rely almost exclusively on fossil fuels.

Land is another finite resource that merits some kind of management. As one of the most densely populated countries in the world, we need to have better policies on the use of land and the protection of our pocket sized countryside.

There are still a large number of vacant properties, while new properties continue being built, making for inefficient use of land and jeapordising our biodiversity and natural landscapes.

Planning policies are riddled with inconsistencies. “Take the issue of high rise buildings for instance. Applications for high-rise buildings were accepted before any sort of policy was created. There should be some kind of vision – places where high-rise buildings are allowed and places where they aren’t. Instead we have a few haphazard towers scattered over the island.

“There is a moratorium on high-rise buildings until a policy can be created. However rather than creating a policy before the applications came in government will now have to take into consideration pending applications when creating the policy.”

The presence of a good policy is important for all environmental issues because mistakes are so difficult to rectify. In the instance of high-rise builds this becomes even more evident, due mainly to ownership issues.

“Implementing any sort of changes in an apartment block housing four families is difficult enough. If owners are in the hundreds then it becomes almost impossible to achieve any changes.”

Another issue close the Bianchi’s heart is the attention to “green zones” within urban areas. Hardly any attention is given to the aesthetics of built up areas.

“Manoel Island in Gzira would have been an ideal ground for a recreational centre in close proximity to many families. Instead it is being developed into and extension of the already massive Tigne Point.”

This is not to say that it is all bad news out there. Government has put together a National Environment Policy, though Bianchi says if this is considered in isolation it will do nothing but gather dust on the back shelves. Environmental policy needs to be integrated into other strategies; transport, energy, industry, construction and tourism: all of which have conflicting targets and impact the environment in a negative manner.  

Din l-Art Helwa is responsible for the management of two of Malta’s first nature parks. Foresta 2000 in Mellieha is a project Din l-Art Helwa manages a large site on the Marfa Ridge of 300,000 square metres, in collaboration with Bird Life Malta and the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs.

“We are working hard to restore the area that was altered by human activity, recreating Mediterranean woodland to encourage biodiversity and increasing access to the general public.”

The Majjistral Nature Park in the Northwest of the island from which it takes its name. It includes the costal cliffs and Golden Sands beach and is managed by Din l-Art Helwa, Nature Trust (Malta) and Gaia Foundation.

Financing of the foundation has always been tough, as with any charitable institution, but Bianchi is positive. Financing comes from members’ subscriptions, corporate members as well as fund raising events.

“So far, we have never had a project that was unable to be pursued because of lack of funding but it is always challenging to put together enough money to get our projects off the ground.

“It is more difficult to secure financing for maintenance work than for new projects as people as well as corporations feel more inclined to help out when something they can see the difference their money is making.”

Bianchi has a full-time job as well as two teenage children to look after. She manages her commitment to Din l-Art Helwa in the evenings and at weekends.

“It is like this for the rest of the volunteers who donate their time to our cause. We all have work and family commitments and somehow have to fit everything in. This is why some projects take off before others. Whoever takes a personal interest in a particular project makes sure it gets off the ground as soon as possible but somehow everything fits into place.”

Recent work taken on by Din l-Art Helwa include the Our Lady of Victory Church in Valletta, which was handed over to them by the government, the Great Siege monument, the Queen Victoria Statue in Valletta, the Vilhena Lion Statue and several niche monuments of various saints.

“We are always on the look out for new properties where our work is badly needed in the restoration of heritage sites or environmental areas to their former glory.”