Patrick Schembri, Alfred Badacchino: Ilma, Blat u Ħajja (Third Ed. revised), Malta University Publishing, 2011, 118 pp.

Some see the natural environment as a resource to be developed and exploited, others consider it as heritage to be conserved and protected.

A comprehensive and updated description of how the dynamic and delicate environmental equilibrium has evolved over the ages- Frank Ventura

Very often, the arguments used in the ensuing debate reveal a narrow and biased understanding of the local environment.

This new edition of Ilma, Blat u Ħajja goes a long way towards addressing this problem. It presents a comprehensive and updated description of the local environment, and how the dynamic and delicate environmental equilibrium has evolved over the ages.

The approach is scientific but this should not deter readers since the language is clear, uncomplicated and supported by many attractive colour and black-and-white illustrations.

The introduction sets the context by explaining briefly how the land that makes up our islands was formed under the sea, until it emerged above the surface for the first time about 10 million years ago.

Subsequent changes in sea level from the Ice Ages onwards produced a pristine natural environment that underwent drastic changes when the first people arrived with their domestic animals about 7,000 years ago.

The next chapters supply a wealth of detail to describe how the environment has evolved since then. These can be divided into four groups relating to the land, water resources, animals and plants, and human activity and environmental protection.

The description of the land is laid out in three fascinating chapters that present a brief account of the geology, geomorphology and types of soil.

Geology shows how the five major layers of rock that form the land and the fossils found in them allow us to draw conclusions on when and how the rocks of the Maltese Islands were formed under the sea.

The rarer quaternary soil and rock deposits that formed on land at Ċirkewwa, Marfa, St Thomas Bay, Wied Magħlaq, Għar Dalam and Dwejra in Gozo provide evidence of environmental changes from about 127,000 years ago.

The chapter on geomorphology explains how erosive forces due to wind, rain, ancient rivers, sea wave action and other factors have shaped the land into hills, valleys, coastal and inland cliffs, bays and peninsulas. These natural forces have also led to the formation of seven different types of soil whose characteristics, distribution, protection and importance for agriculture have been studied in detail in recent years.

Rainwater is the primary element on which the natural environment depends. Accordingly, important information is provided about rainwater that seeps into the rocks and settles in two aquifers, water that flows directly into the sea despite dams built in valleys, and the bulk of water that is lost by evaporation and transpiration by plants.

Water in the aquifers is an important natural resource that is currently threatened by human activity of all sorts and by climate change. The latter concern leads to an informative and updated review of the climate of the Maltese Islands that discusses average values and trends in rainfall, temperature, wind, humidity and sunshine.

The authors show how a combination of these factors produces two ecological seasons with contrasting effects on our natural environment: a rainy season between October and March, and a dry season between April and September.

Three chapters then describe the complex and surprisingly rich web of life in the natural environment. The first identifies nine different habitats, each with its distinctive group of interacting living things that form a self-regulating ecological community known as a biocenosis.

Details of typical plants of the garigue, maquis, forest and steppe habitats are provided along with descriptions of plants found in disturbed environments, cliff sides, dry valleys, the coastal environment and sand dunes.

Fauna is the topic of the next chapter with emphasis on animals that predominate in specialised habitats, such as caves and mounds of seaweed, as well as migratory species and animals introduced by man, such as the Red Palm Weevil that caused havoc in recent years.

The description then turns to the less well-known but nonetheless interesting plants and animals in three different zones of the shore and underwater environment along the 180 km coast.

Since the first presence of man on the islands about 7,000 years ago, human activity has transformed the natural environment in many ways. Agricultural activity resulted in the clearing of woodland, the collection and transport of soil and the building of rubble walls.

Even more damage has been caused in recent years as a result of the increase in population, rapid technological progress, consumerism and hectic lifestyles.

The authors then remind us of several international conventions to which Malta has signed, as well as the EU directives and local legislation meant to conserve and protect the natural environment, which are not always observed. However, a note of optimism is the growth of formal and non-formal environmental education and young students’ positive attitudes.

This publication is an excellent medium for acquiring a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural environment. This can only help us learn how to enjoy a better quality of life without causing environmental problems for us and for future generations.