The Rinella Valley water course, which is home to two rare endemic species, has been cleaned up as part of HSBC Malta’s climate change programme.

The protected and listed water course in the Rinella Valley provides a habitat to the painted frog and the Maltese freshwater crab. Their numbers are slowly dwindling due to pollution, the drying up of water streams and their capture by humans.

A group of HSBC Climate Champions, led by Simon Causon, joined the Ġenista Foundation and Europe Direct Mosta to clean up parts of the neglected areas of this valley.

“For a number of years, the area was neglected and rubbish started piling up. Our plan was to clean the area near the water course at the lower end of the valley. A large amount of rubbish, including car parts, bathroom appliances and even a metal staircase were cleared from the area,” said HSBC climate change activities country coordinator Martin Scicluna.

HSBC Climate Champions are trained employee volunteers who have been selected to use their business skills and climate change knowledge to build a more sustainable future.