A beauty spot where earth and life sciences can gel harmoniously

An area in the limits of Mġarr will become the island’s first centre for integrated natural and cultural heritage management.

Branded as the I-Land Observatory and Interpretation Centre, the project will include outreach facilities and educational activities with the aim of promoting environmental awareness and more appreciation for Malta’s natural and cultural heritage.

It has just been launched by the University’s Institute of Earth Systems with the support of the HSBC Malta Foundation and the Mġarr local council.

“The observatory will serve to synergise efforts in environmental management, including conservation of biological diversity, while also looking out for Malta’s assets at the landscape scale. The earth and life sciences, together with cultural heritage, gel nicely,” said Louis F. Cassar, director of the Institute of Earth Systems.

The Minister for Fair Competition, Small Business and Consumers, Jason Azzopardi noted that the project would offer a number of benefits including the promotion of Malta’s ecological heritage, the provision of a recreational area for the public and also the nature conservation and ecological restoration of the area.

“The government will continue to work hard in considering the allocations of such devolutions. This, in return, would generate more investment, tourism, higher education and, most of all, cultural and ecological heritage,” said Dr Azzopardi.

HSBC Malta’s CEO Mark Watkinson said that the project, situated in the area known as Tal-Kunċizzjoni, aimed to ensure future generations continued to benefit from the environmental heritage.

For Francis Sullivan, HSBC’s adviser on the environment and deputy head of group corporate sustainability, the observatory ushered in a new level of sensitivity to Malta’s natural environment.

“Once up and running, this centre will coordinate the equipment and expertise necessary to apply restorative ecology and promote more environmentally sustainable practices in Malta,” he said Mr Sullivan.

Mġarr mayor Paul Vella acknowledged HSBC Malta Foundation’s contribution to preserve and add new value to the Tal-Kunċizzjoni area, “which is an extensive and pristine green area by Maltese standards”.