Mepa offering better protection for old trees
The oldest trees in Malta are olive trees in Bidnija. This area is one of the 30 Tree Protection Areas in Malta, Gozo and Comino.
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has designated 30 sites in Malta, Gozo and Comino as Tree Protection Areas, offering the sites an added layer of protection.
The oldest trees in Malta are olive trees in Bidnija. This area is one of the 30 Tree Protection Areas in Malta, Gozo and Comino.The sites included in the list are not all new but now they have all been mapped on the authority's Geographical Information System and clearly defined with boundaries, the head of Mepa's Environment Protection Directorate, Petra Bianchi, said yesterday at a briefing on the exercise.
Malta, Gozo and Comino are home to about 60 species of trees, 77 per cent of which are defined as rare or threatened due to their small numbers in the wild.
The exercise, which took two years to conclude, was part of a process which started in 2001 and included a vast amount of research through old literature, including poems and newspaper cuttings, to shed light on various species of trees found in the Maltese islands.
The 30 sites include three new areas which were previously not on the list: Iċ-Ċagħaq, on the outskirts of Mġarr; Il-Wied tal-Fiddien and Ta' San Blas, both on the outskirts of Rabat, and Wied il-Faħam in Għargħur.
These sites were included because they contain representative types of Maltese woodland communities. Some of the sites are already protected as Nature 2000 sites . Two of them are in Comino and three are in Gozo.
Some of the trees found in the sites include specimens of the rare Mediterranean Buckthorn ( Alaternu), carob trees ( ħarrub), almonds ( lewż), hawthorns ( żagħrun) and large Mastic Trees ( deru).
A new tree protected area is close to San Blas Chapel in Rabat, which has numerous old English Elm trees. The site includes a copse of old olive trees, which from their trunk size are estimated to be at least centenarian in age.
The oldest trees in Malta are estimated to be 2,000 years old and are in an area in Bidnija. These olive trees seem to have been cut down in the past but grew again, said Darrin Stevens, the team leader at Mepa's Nature Protection Unit.
He said Mepa was now working on certifying the typical Maltese trees.
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Clover Gale
Jul 20th 2011, 12:21
There is one white willow tree, around 800 years old,left in Buskett.There were some white willows planted in Tal-Fiddien but that area is now a shambles,sadly.How is Mepa going to restore the white willow population before the one remaining at Buskett dies? It would be sad if this species is lost forever from these islands.
Please do something about the white willows.
Mr pacifico galea
Jul 20th 2011, 00:09
Mela tajba din il mepa thares sigar taz zebbug gol bidnija. Mela fil pjazzaa tal Bidnija inghata permess biex tinbena vill floka kien hemm min tal inqas 7 sigar tal harrub barra tipiohra u dawn gew meqrudin ghal kollox ghax xi hadd bsahtu bhal kavalierux jghadi kolloox. ftit lisfel mil knisja wkoll inghata permess biex tibena villa jew monstru iehor u fdan il post wkoll inqedqu exieren ta sigar tal harub u ohrajn. il gewwa mil knisja go ghalqa privata li gieli tintuza bhala parking ghal meta jkollu il mistednin il kavallier wkoll inerqu xi sigar tal harrub u dawn hadd ma ha passi kontrijom anzi tawhom il barka ghax ta gewwa. jekk tridu ta xi posstijiet minhom hgnadi ritratti li jidru dawn il harrub meta kien ghadu hemm.Ara iz zghir qatt maghndu cans johroglu il permess ghax ma jkollux xi jroxx biex dawn johorgu imma il kavallier u shabu dawn kollox jghadi.
Steve Zammit
Jul 19th 2011, 23:41
Are you going to protect our Ficus trees? Yes they are old, yet every year we read and witness the butchering of these trees, reducing them to just bare trunks
Are you going to protect Wied il-Ghasel from further distruction? Think not, you just gave the green light for another stupid development in the valley itself
Are you going to stop the uprooting and destruction of old Carob trees to make way for the Smart City project?
Are you going to protect the ancient Oak trees of Wardija from the chicken broiler to contine operating and expanding?
Are you going to take action against the greedy developers that last year bulldozed dozens of trees without permission in one of the last fields in Haz-Zebbug?
You are the same MEPA that over the years granted developers permission to build everywhere up, clearing and cutting down plenty of old trees in the process.
This is a good iniative, but actions speak louder then words. You have alot to prove
Joan Nelson
Jul 19th 2011, 19:19
To MEPA: If you read all the comments here, you will confirm that you have lost all credibility.
When you lose credibility, you have to work three times as hard to even start to gain some back.
Way to go MEPA!!
Mr Adrian Borg Cardona
Jul 19th 2011, 14:02
MePA's protection means absoultely nothing- totally valueless. Need I mention Bahrija again?
James Shaun Cauchi
Jul 19th 2011, 17:53
Trees do not vote. Nor do they have a strong following in voters. This is one reason why they are pruned mercilessly - uprooted - destroyed.
Joe Scerri
Jul 19th 2011, 13:22
the little that's left mainly thanks to the building that has been pernitted over the years with MEPA's blessing.
Mr Carmel (Nenu) Aquilina
Jul 19th 2011, 13:05
Sinjuri tal-MEPA,
Prosit tal-protezzjoni tas-siġar li qed tpproteġu, jekk huwa veru!
Għax jiena jiddispjaċini meta narakom disgwidaw lill poplu minn fuq straġijiet oħra gravi li jkunu qed jitwetqu quddiem għajnejkom u ma tieħdu l-ebda azzjoni.
Tafu kemm inqerdu siġar tal-ħarrub f’Ħal-Farruġ limiti tas-Siġġiewi quddiem il-Lufthansa Thechnique?
X’passi qatt ħadtu Sinjuri tal-MEPA?
Tafu x’qerda qiegħda issir fl-inħawi ta’ Ħal-Farruġ u fuq ir-rih taż-żewġ naħat ta’ Wied il-Kbir fil-limiti tas-Siġġiewi, u mhux ta’ Ħal-Luqa?
Fejn qed tipproteġu is-siġar, meta qed toħorġu permessi industrijali fejn ammont kbir ta’ trabijiet qed jispiċċaw jeqerdu prodotti ta’ bdiewa Siġġiwin fl-inħawi ta’ l-ibraġġ u Ħal-Farruġ, u s-siġar tal-ħarrub kollha ta’ Wied il-kbir flimkien mal-fauna kollha li qed tiksuhom bit-trabijiet?
L-anqas għasfur tal-bejt ma jista jgħix iżjed f’dawn l-inħawi.
Tafu jew le li hawn f’isem il-progress qed isseħ rovina ambjentali f’dawn l-inħawi bl-iżvilup mingħajr kontroll ta’ xejn f’dawn l-inħawi kollha li huma ODZ?
Tafu bl-irdim ta’ barrieri bla kontrol ta’ xejn ma ġemb il-BoreHole tal-Ħarruba, fil-limiti tas-Siġġiewi, tafu li minn din il-Borehole jixorbu l-Maltin, mela għax ma tmorrux u tfittxu twaqfu din ir-rovina?
Imbgħad ejjew ftaħru Sinjuri tal-MEPA.
Victor Vella
Jul 19th 2011, 12:18
How about better protection to nieghbours of new buildings?
Stephen Koludrovic
Jul 19th 2011, 11:40
Now that a nice picture of the olive trees that I never knew existed.
Adrian Sacco
Jul 19th 2011, 11:33
What a shame MEPA didn't see fit to "protect" the row of beautifully kept old trees that have been removed from the Bormla drydock area, which seemingly are to be replaced with an expanse of bare concrete paving.
Mr john vella
Jul 19th 2011, 11:29
We are never short of that daily dose of Good News!
How nice. At least in this La La Land we are always promised; "Oil will possibly be found"; "Exportation was better than last Year"; " Big complexes employing hundreds in the pipe line"; "Hotels wanting to expand"; "Transport will be state of the art;" "Vittoria gate to be embellished"; " study is under way by experts I assumed payed for, for a tunnel between Gozo and nowhere" and on and on.
In my case I just ask the authorities to do something so that the disco in my area let me sleep at 4 in the morning!
As they say sticks and stones can always hurt my bones but empty words will get me nowhere!
aldo Attard
Jul 19th 2011, 12:33
Agreed completely.
We see ODZ being abused daily in broad daylight and still we let ourselves being fooled by these daily doses of Good News.
Come have a look at Wied id - Dies, Hal - Gharghur, at Busietta Gardens or village!!! further on facing Slash and Fun at the top of the Madliena.
Please do not fool us any more!!
Astrid Vella
Jul 19th 2011, 10:53
MEPA legislates to protect trees and yet at the same time it grants a permit for cesspits and a manure clamp which allow an abusive broiler farm producing 14,400 chickens p.a. to continue operating in the Wardija Natura 2000 Site. This Tree Protection Area was scheduled by MEPA because it dates back over 1,000 years!
MEPA has improved significantly recently, but this is one major foul which once again rewards abusers.
Mr Lawrence Fenech
Jul 19th 2011, 10:35
MEPA offering protection to who, to people who have been caught in the middle of 5 storey buildings galore. Halluna hsara ghamiltu u tibqa tghamlu biex tpaxxu lil min jinteresah biss il-flus u mhux ir-residenti.
John Carmel Navarro
Jul 19th 2011, 07:46
This is very much a way forward and goes some way in restoring at least a little faith in MEPA, if course without being too cynical I presume this new initiative would apply across the board without any preferential treatment. I whole heartedly agree with trees being identified as soon as possible so then there is no argument when someone decides to destroy trees for more buildings. One cannot overlook the fact that whole valleys and beauty spots which have trees that have been identified were and are being destroyed with blessings.