As part of the Arbor week activities, another 500 indigenous trees and shrubs were planted last Wednesday at Mater Dei Hospital by staff members and Green leaders.

The trees were planted in an area that was previously a degraded site and is now being transformed into a small Mediterranean woodland.

This area, when completed, will include educational information panels on the flora of the site and a small recreational area for staff, visitors and patients.

The Mediterranean woodland project is a joint initiative between Go plc, which is sponsoring the trees as part of their corporate environmental responsibility, Nature Trust Malta (NTM), providing the trees and shrubs and the educational panels, and Mater Dei management and staff who are planting and maintaining the trees.

During the event, NTM Executive President Vincent Attard thanked Go and Mater Dei for their support. He said that with the area being close to an industrial zone, the woodland would help provide a green lung to the hospital. Furthermore, with the site touching Wied Għollieqa, this project will also complement the work NTM is doing further down the valley at the Wied Għollieqa Nature Reserve.

Go CEO David Kay said: "Go is proud to be part of this project involving the planting of several indigenous plants in Malta. We look forward to further this collaboration so that we can help make Malta greener, thus reducing our carbon emissions footprint."

Among the trees and shrubs planted are carob trees, Holm Oak, Aleppo Pines, Myrtle and Rosemary.