Birdlife Malta announces new Executive Director

Addressing a press conference at the St James Cavalier, BirdLife Malta’s President Joseph Mangion thanked former executive director Tolga Temulge for the four years of work he had dedicated to the organisation. “Under the direction of Temulge, BirdLife Malta has seen a new era turned into a professional organisation with EU standards,” Mangion said, thanking him for the campaigning and environmental experience he brought to the NGO.

New director Paul Debono, born to Maltese and German parents in Malta, holds a degree in accountancy from the University of Hull. He is a dedicated environmentalist, having worked for Greenpeace Mediterranean as the Finance Director and Executive Director between 2001 and 2005.

Mangion recalled how BirdLife Malta is the only entity in Malta that has managed to secure EU funds under the EU’s LIFE funding scheme. “This has resulted in over half a million Euros from Brussels being diverted to Maltese economy spent on nature conservation in the Maltese islands.”

Debono said he was honoured to be part of a team which has grown so much over the last few years. “We will continue to raise the standards of our scientific research which is central to BirdLife’s conservation work,” he said.

Debono promised to continue build up on Temuge’s work, especially on the surveillance of illegal hunting. “Our illegal hunting surveillance will continue to be one of our top priorities and we hope to see significant increase in the law enforcement efforts,” Debono said, adding that the illegal activities threatened not only Malta’s but also Europe’s avifauna.

Debono went on to say that illegal hunting is not the only issue to follow. “Even if illegal hunting attracts alot of media attention, there is a lot of conservation works which have been done and other works which will follow which merit the same attention,” he said.

Whilst thanking the organisation for their trust and support, Temuge reiterated that Maltese politicians should give much more attention to the environment, as in reality they are not really interested to the issue.

“My experience in Malta showed me that the country’s environment will only be properly protected when the politicians realise that what they see as political challenges can actually become opportunities,” he said.

Temulge stressed that by maintaining status quo for their personal political interest, whether it is on spring hunting or illegal occupation of the countryside, they are actually harming Malta’s tourism economy.

“With their lack of interest they are causing sever damage to what is left of the islands fragile ecosystem,” he said, adding that the environmental injustice to the country is “something like which I have not experienced anywhere else.”

With the spring hunting season soon to open, Mangion said government should stop “raising people’s hopes and move forward.”

“Government is wasting its and everyone else’s times. The European Commission has more than once found Malta in breach of its laws. Spring hunting is untenable and once again Malta is under fire with the Commission,” Debono stressed.

Asked by MaltaToday what led to the changeover, Temulge said it “was a personal reason” and it is better to have a Maltese fight for Malta’s environmental rights.

To this date, Debono had been an active volunteer of BirdLife Malta.