The hidden value of woodland areas

HSBC employees recently celebrated World Environment Day by visiting Buskett Gardens.

They were led on an appreciation field trail around Buskett by Joseph Buhagiar, director of Argotti Botanical Gardens and lecturer at the University’s Biology Department.

HSBC Group asked its employees worldwide to uncover the ‘hidden value’ of their local forests, as this year was declared International Year of Forests by the UN.

Employees in more than 40 countries will be taking part in direct action to help protect forests or woodland in their region.

Local conservation projects, tree-planting, clearing of invasive species, film screenings, lectures, environmental fairs, photo competitions, ‘no printing days’, ‘no car days’ and various paper saving initiatives area few of the activities planned.

Buskett is Malta’s only large woodland area and it is home to several important species of plants and insects and other threatened sub-endemic species like the crescent orchid. It is also an internationally important concentration point for migrating birds of prey.