Sustainable development in Gozo

Nowadays we use a number of buzzwords or phrases which mean nothing to the man in the street. One such phrase is "environmentally sustainable development", or ESD.

This phrase was first coined in the 1987 Bruntland Report (named after then Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Bruntland, who chaired the World Commission on Environment and Development), also known as "Our Common Future".

The report states that "sustainable development meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

This concept helps to bring together economic development and the environment so that one will not be detrimental to the other. If precautions are not taken, economic development will destroy the natural resources that are not renewable.

Consequently, any development leading to the depletion of these resources will endanger the well-being of future generations.

Gozo is a small island and its natural resources need to be protected. Its natural environment is being threatened continually, especially by recent rampant speculation.

Thus, if Gozo's natural and historical heritage is not protected, it will be ruined forever. This does not mean that Gozo should be kept as a 'crib' for permanent exhibition.

Development should be planned and tailor-made according to the exigencies of its fragile environment. It must be ensured that one will not flourish to the detriment of the other but rather that a balance is maintained between the two.

In this way the concepts of sustainable development and economic growth can be integrated with environmental protection. Due to its small size Gozo can serve as a model of how a small community with a long tradition can live in modern times.

A case in point is the need for a fixed-wing air link between Malta and Gozo. This is a hot issue.

Environmentalists will oppose such a development; more reasonable persons will weigh the environmental aspect against the economic one and try to come up with a solution that is the least harmful to the environment.

According to experts like Benny Muscat, senior captain with Air Malta (The Sunday Times, January 2): "The Gozo heliport has a runway which is 230 m long. Short take-off and landing aircraft are airplanes which by definition need no more than 500 m of runway to take off and land. Several aircraft capable of carrying up to 20 passengers are able to use a 500 m runway..."

At present the land near the heliport's runway is an illegal rubbish dump. Using this land to have a runway is one way Gozo can attract high quality tourists and increase occupancy, especially in the lean months of the year, when the foreign tourist influx falls below 30 per cent.

Gozo should be considered a higher quality destination for tourists than Malta. The island does not have as many alternative means to create wealth and employment as Malta and therefore tourism is the backbone of the economy.

So there is a great need for attention which has been lacking in the past. The tourism infrastructure should be developed and planned on the concept of sustainability, and is in general dictated by trends, which change every so often.

What was good 20 years ago is not still good today and will in turn be different in a few years' time. This means that any development should be reversible, especially in a small island like Gozo where resources are limited and the social fabric and ecosystem are very vulnerable.

It is essential that the distinguishing features of Gozo and the Gozitans should be preserved: its tranquillity and natural beauty, which unfortunately can easily be destroyed; and the historical, cultural and architectural heritage, which should be restored and reanimated.

Gozo has a lot to offer. It is a jewel which needs protection. Sustainable development and tourism cannot be separated. They should be developed hand in hand and true sustainability maintained to meet the needs of present generations without compromising the needs of future ones.