There are trees, and trees, and trees. Many would not make any distinction between a tree and a tree, saying a tree is a tree. Trees are part of the ecosystem. They are living species and they propagate and grow, and have a role in the dynamic ecological balance.
The decimation of trees going on around the globe is no secret. This also applies to our country. Deforestation started as soon as man first stepped on these islands for various reasons - economic, defensive, social, agricultural, religious, vandalistic, or others - to the extent that the number of indigenous trees of the Maltese islands have almost disappeared, many have a polluted gene pool, and some have been pushed to isolated and remote places as their last stronghold.
Afforestation - political perspective
As early as the 1970s, efforts were made to reforest our land. The idea was fantastic, the execution was bizarre. Thousands and thousands of trees indigenous to Australia, like the Eucalyptus and Acacia, were planted.
The eco-fundamentalists of those times, who were still in nappies, referred to these trees as political trees. Their growth was fast and easily visible and the erstwhile ministers responsible for agriculture could easily boast of thousands of trees that were planted, as one can see from published annual reports.
But the trees had, and some are still having, adverse impact aesthetically, ecologically, socially and economically. Little did one believe that these could have contributed, even if indirectly, to the flood damage of 1979, leading also to one person drowning in his garage, hay fever complaints, some to the release of chemicals into the environment in ample quantities and long persistence to affect a neighbouring or successional plant; and to the sucking dry of underground water resources.
Eucalyptus are used in some countries to suck dry marshes. If one takes a look around Malta and Gozo, where extensive groves of Eucalyptus grow, one can image the amount of precious underground water resources which are being sucked dry and wasted. Perhaps the Malta Resource Authority, responsible for water resources, can give an indication of the volume of water lost through such alien trees, planted in the name of afforestation projects.
Such trees are indirectly contributing to an accelerated climate change because the loss of water for which they are responsible is replaced and made available for human use through the supply of water from the reverse osmosis plants (unless one suggests that most of it is being pumped from illegal boreholes). In any case, both are dependent on the burning of fossil fuel, resulting in atmospheric emissions contributing to climate change.
Transporting volumes of water from one part of the island to another also results in more burning of fossil fuel. Because of the lack of a national strategy, nobody is responsible for this, and ministerial fingers point at each another. And the government is not happy with the EU's allocation of carbon dioxide emission limits!
Fortunately, when the eco- fundamentalists grew older, they convinced the powers that be to change the course of afforestation projects. Acacias were declared invasive and illegal to plant. Eucalyptus were not and are still being planted. Today one can still find them for sale.
A change of direction and plans were eventually adopted, which saw the downfall of acacias, but the rise of palm trees, mainly south Americans, such as Washingtonia. As soon as one sets foot outside the airport lounge, one is greeted by palm trees. On the way to the hotel, along centre strips in addition to phallic symbols in roundabouts, one can count palm trees.
These trees also extend their greetings from the hotel front gardens, sometimes even from the hotel foyer. They can be seen growing along bastions, if not on top of them, along promenades, and even on beaches. Malta is indeed becoming a palm country - a desert island.
A stretch of road, which I try my best to avoid, is the Regional Road between the University tunnels and the Manwel Dimech Bridge. The roundabout intersecting this stretch of road has been 'landscraped' with a number of tall palm trees. I feel like driving toward the Golgotha where all the indigenous Maltese trees have been sacrificed.
What is missing is the price tag on each tree. Rumour has it, price tags range from Lm700 to Lm800 for each tree. The natural environment, especially indigenous trees, would have gained untold benefits, both with the financial resources available and also such a land area. It reminds me of the chopping of wild flowers to plant pansies et al instead.
The way ahead
The Maltese islands undoubtedly need afforestation projects for ecological, educational, scientific, aesthetic, historical, recreational, social, and economic reasons. But the approach has to be holistic, not fragmented. This can only be achieved through a national biodiversity strategy.
Too much energy and resources are being wasted in the absence of this strategy, without returning any long-term tangible positive results. If present and future afforestation projects are going to be undertaken on these lines, Malta's environment can do without such a mess.
Another mistake which was and is still being committed is the rush to nearby Sicily to buy large amounts of species that are indigenous to the Maltese islands, on the pretext that this will augment the local stock of indigenous trees. The result is polluting the gene pool of the local population, which has been cut off from similar populations in the region for thousands of years.
It seems that the main interest for the politicians, despite being guided by the Convention of Biological Diversity, is to boost the numbers of trees planted. To the entrepreneurs the most important thing is the quick pocketing of profits. As to the natural environment, the gene pool and future generations, well, who cares? The present actors in this field, as in many others, won't be here when future generations take over the administration of the country.
Tomorrow's families will certainly have to bear the hidden cost of the loss of the indigenous species of the Maltese islands, besides the political cost of failing to honour the obligations that Malta has agreed to as a party to a number of international treaties, not least those of the EU.
The prime minister did not mince words when he wrote in his foreword to the pre-Budget document dated July 21: "...particular attention (will be devoted) to our environment because we believe that we are stewards of what belongs to our children and future generations. We are convinced that this heritage is indispensable to our families' well-being, now and in the future." The questions that arises is: What is or is going to be done to achieve such a noble aim?
The country desperately needs a national sustainable development strategy, of which the national biodiversity strategy would be an offshoot. Both afforestation and invasive species, besides other important concepts in biodiversity conservation, are mentioned in the pre-Budget document.
Here are some excerpts from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Sustainable Development's Website:
Chapter 8 of Agenda 21 calls on countries to adopt national strategies for sustainable development (NSDS) that "should build upon and harmonise the various sectoral economic, social and environmental policies and plans that are operating in the country";
"...the 1997 Special Session of the General Assembly again noted the importance of NSDS and set a target of 2002 for their formulation and elaboration";
"In 2002, the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) urged states not only to 'take immediate steps to make progress in the formulation and elaboration of national strategies for sustainable development' but also to 'begin their implementation by 2005' ";
"In addition, integrating the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes is one of the targets contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration to reach the goal of environmental sustainability";
"Governments have continued to reiterate their commitment to develop and implement NSDS at subsequent CSD sessions".
The UN Website on National Sustainable Development Strategy (http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/natlinfo/nsds/nsds.htm) illustrates why, how and what countries have embarked on such a strategy and which countries are involved more for convenience's sake rather than conviction.
Alfred E. Baldacchino, DES, DPA, PG. Dip. Env. Management, M.Sc. Environmental Management and Planning, has been involved in the protection of biodiversity since 1970, both with local and foreign NGOs and also as a civil servant for over 30 years. He has occupied managerial positions within the Department of Environment, including assistant director of the Nature Protecting Unit, Environment Protection Directorate (aebaldacchino@gmail.com).