New reception centre at nature reserve

BirdLife Malta yesterday inaugurated a reception centre at the nature reserve in Simar in Xemxija.

The centre is geared to educate the people, including schoolchildren, on the reserve and the Maltese natural environment.

Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino, who was present for the opening together with Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, said the government appreciated initiatives such as this by BirdLife which had converted land into a natural reserve. He was sure the reception centre would help raise awareness about Malta's natural environment.

The minister said the government was taking other measures to raise environmental awareness, particularly among schoolchilden. These included Ekoskola.

Dr Zammit Dimech said improving the environment was one of the government's priorities because a better environment meant a better standard of living.

The reception centre cost BirdLife some Lm20,000, of which Lm5,000 were contributed by the Malta Tourism Authority.