Fern of contention

Escaping to nature can mean different things to different people. Off-roaders and ramblers admit to sharing some common ground but may have conflicting views when the going gets tough.

Both seek free access to the wilder parts of Malta and Gozo with varying degrees of harm to the environment. Noisy trail bikes and jeep safaris are not popular with either camp. Both complain of being denied access to the countryside by farmers and RTO (Riservato) signs, reserving the area for hunters.

Off-roading is considered a sport, with competitions held in Malta and abroad, yet offers little in the way of exercise while allegedly tearing up the countryside. Vehicles stuck in wet, off-road conditions may indulge in the mud-spattering art of wheelspin, going nowhere fast as they burn diesel and release extra carbon into the atmosphere.

At times, off-roaders absolve themselves by making use of their vehicles to remove dumped fridges and other objects from the countryside. Some may even run their Land Rovers on biodiesel.

People attracted to off-roading are generally the outdoor type with a fondness for camping, barbecuing and possibly a fascination for anything vaguely military. After all, off-roading came to the islands in the form of training exercises by British forces.

Today's off-roaders seem more engrossed in engine performance with their natural surroundings little more than a backdrop to whining Land Rovers.

Rambling is regarded as more of a leisure activity although extended treks and steep cliff paths can be a rambler's outdoor gym. Citing the European Charter of Sport, they hope for more recognition within the sporting world. Although not competitive, this activity is challenging, requires endurance and skills, while health benefits are a tangible return.

Ploughing along rocky valley beds is not thought to be harmful by the All Wheel Drive Club (AWDC), which sees environmentalist views as extremist.

Every winter, a torrent of water rushes down Wied Qirda, rearranging the boulders from one year to the next. This presents a renewed challenge to the 4WD fanatics who fail to see why they should not venture into the valley to test their vehicles on fresh rocky terrain.

Ecologists argue that the shifting boulders are part of the valley's eco-system. Nature is well aware of it and her timing is precise. By the time the boulders settle down in new positions after the winter floods the first shoots are beginning to push through the gaps. Then along come the Land Rovers, leaving a trail of destruction.

Ask an off-roader and he will deny that the sport is a threat to the environment. Like the hunters, off-roaders feel it is their own hobby which is under threat rather than the environment. They insist that it is an unruly minority which discredits them.

Most of our rare and indigenous plants are found on garigue and in valleys. Some grow to a maximum height of just five centimetres, so they can be somewhat difficult to spot from behind the wheel of a Land Rover.

Fierce exchanges have taken place between members of the Ramblers Association and the AWDC over off-roading at Wied Incita.

The off-roaders claimed that they were only using a track in the valley which is listed on a map and having paid their road licence, insisted they had every right to use it.

An eyewitness account suggests that the vehicles veered off the track to drive over boulders in an area where the rare Sicilian squill grows.

These blue-flowering bulbous plants can only be found in Malta and southern Italy, where they are nearing extinction.

An even rarer fern, thought to have disappeared from the Maltese islands, has been recorded near this valley by the co-author of a book on Maltese flora. Inadvertent and unregulated crushing or killing of rare species puts Malta on the biodiversity map of shame.

Educating off-roaders may go some way to preserving natural heritage. At least, prickly garigue is murder for tyres and discourages all but the rich or foolish. Permits for off-roading were formerly issued by Malta Environment and Planning Authority under the 2003 regulations. Currently, new applications for off-roading permits are being considered against a regime of environmental permits for outdoor activities.

A paper on rural strategy classifies off-roading as 'incompatible' and requires dedicated areas. Mepa is in the process of identifying sites that can be used for the sport. Discussions are ongoing with AWDC in the search for a solution for off-roading requests within environmental parameters.

Large quarries, originally proposed as suitable for holding off-road events, have now become more lucrative as dumpsites for stone waste.

Development of an urban boulder park may be a possible future alternative.