Arsonists target BirdLife anti-trapping billboard, Għadira nature reserve
The billboard, urging people to enjoy birds flying freely, was targeted by vandals. Photo: Jason Borg
Arsonists yesterday set fire to a BirdLife Malta billboard at Għadira, targeting trapping, and are believed to have started another fire at the nearby nature reserve.
The police confirmed that inflammable liquid was found next to a billboard, which has just been put up near the Danish Village in Għadira as part of a new anti-trapping campaign.
The lower part of the billboard was damaged and about 75 metres of vegetation, mostly shrubs, was destroyed by fire at the nature reserve, which has been targeted by vandals several times in the past year.
"We were lucky the ground was wet, otherwise the flames would have spread faster and we would have had more serious damage," a BirdLife spokesman said, adding that the watchman noticed the flames and alerted firemen, who were quickly on the scene.
Listing the number of times the reserve was vandalised and its volunteers targeted, Birdlife president Joseph Mangion said the main problem with the prevailing situation was that none of the criminals had been brought to justice to date.
Later in the day, the hunters' federation (FKNK) released a statement accusing the government of financially supporting BirdLife's campaign that it said "provokes bird trappers".
The federation said the government was helping BirdLife by allocating EU funds, obtained by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, in its campaign against trapping. The campaign, EU Life + Project on Bird Migration and Trapping, will run for two years and aims to raise awareness on Malta's importance for bird migration, with a special focus on finches.
The project will also highlight the negative impact of trapping on Malta's breeding birds and its natural environment. It is 50 per cent funded by the EU Life Unit with additional contributions from Mepa and the project partners.
The hunters' federation said that last year it had asked the Rural Affairs Ministry whether it was involved in the deal. The ministry had denied any involvement but the federation said it recently found out that the funds were obtained by Mepa, which fell under the ministry's responsibility.
The federation is now questioning whether the government has decided to waste taxpayers' money in this way: "The same government that has been withholding refunds owed to the FKNK since 2007".
It also hit out at the EU, which "opts to use taxpayers' funds to abolish yet another Maltese traditional socio-cultural passion - trapping".
Mepa denied that it had financially contributed towards the two-year BirdLife campaign.
It said that while it acknowledged that it was willing to support the project, it had specifically requested BirdLife to directly involve key stakeholders such as the hunters' federation and other associations that represent trappers in the project activities as a condition for Mepa sponsorship. Once such condition was not met, Mepa said it did not enter into any formal commitment with BirdLife to sponsor the project.
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Joe Camilleri
Feb 5th 2009, 15:31
"Mepa denied that it had financially contributed towards the two-year BirdLife campaign" sorry MEPA, but everybody knows that you have two weights and two measures. I beleive FKNK, they always said the truth.
Franco Farrugia
Feb 5th 2009, 12:29
@ Mr MMB: The last time we heard such vindictives and talk about PROVOCATION was in the Seventies and Eighties. Provocation appeared to be the order of the day, then, and a section of the population used to attribute the violence in those days to PROVOCATION. Now, thanks to you, PROVOCATION is once again being used to excuse illegalities, arson, and even violence. Give us a break, man! You dont even know what you are talking about! Those adverts are meant to be educational, and they are nothing but wellmeaning!
Ramon Casha
Feb 5th 2009, 11:59
@MMB: Oh sure, they're really provocative. How dare they suggest to people to enjoy birds outside of cages!
Shirley Sammuts
Feb 5th 2009, 10:49
So freedom of speech is alright in the run up to the election, when each party puts up billboards to criticise and make fun of the other side, but when BirdLife embarks on a well-overdue educational campaign, it's provocation??? When is the FKNK going to realise that the real victims here are the birds, and not the "poor" hunters??? Any educated person knows that hunters ; trappers ARE in fact harming our environment , if you feel that the billboards aren't informative enough, then take the initiative ; bring yourself up to date I too am a taxpayer & i fully support the use of funds to educate ; enforce regulations so i say....kudos to the government & BirdLife for taking action - keep it up!!!
Andrew Gatt
Feb 5th 2009, 10:37
@ Ann Camilleri..........you seem remarkably well-informed, so much so that you state that hunters encage(?!) birds! This about TRAPPING - which, for your information, has been BANNED against all promises made and agreements reached. What's the point of these billboards? Education? Migration? Don't make me laugh. Birdlife is showing crass insensitivity at best and blatant provocation at worst, in rubbing salt into the wounds of Maltese people like yourself who have been cruelly deceived and misled. And your comment about hunters at Dingli doesn't impress me. Hunting is LEGAL and practised all over the EU, in most countries on a scale far far far far exceeding ours, and ALL YEAR ROUND in others. To be constructive, some minimal knowledge of the subject and the background events would help. Sorry to say you do not seem to have either.
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Feb 5th 2009, 10:03
Birdlfie Malta are to be condemned for being so provocative in what they term as an educational campaign.
They will be spending 350,000 Euro to inform the public of the harm of trapping on Malta and the EU's biodiversity.
If putting up billboards the size of buses is how they intend going about this "education". I suggest they spend their EASY MONEY on something more informative.
"GAWDIHOM HIELSA" splashed upon a billboard is not exactly telling us much about harm to biodiversity.
MEPA states that whilst willing to support the project they "did not enter into any formal commitment with BirdLife to sponsor the project" since the agreed participation of trappers representatives was not honored. Yet, MEPA still endorsed their application for funds which made the grant possible.
Birdlfie Malta has fooled MEPA into believing they were after bird protection when in fact all they wanted was EASY MONEY.
Birdlfie dishonored an important requisite stipulated by MEPA for the granting of EU finds. Yet they still received 175,000 Euros.
Who else are Birdlfie Malta willing to deceive in order to quench their lust for funds?
I WOULD ASK THE YELKOUAN SHEARWATERS!!!
Ann Camilleri
Feb 5th 2009, 09:55
Oh poor hunters, always being discriminated against for encaging poor innocent birds. What's the point in it? Last time I was at Dingli Cliffs trying to enjoy nature when all I could hear was Bang, bang, bang from the hunters in the vicinity!
And what's up with the FKNK stating that hunters are being provoked?? It's called freedom of speech, go look it up!! And believe me, a lot of the Maltese do not consider this a "Maltese traditional socio-cultural passion". It's ridiculous and cruel for this animal to go from freedom to spending the rest of it's days in a small cage.