Save our marshland!

Primary schoolchildren are petitioning politicians to save an important saline marshland in Marsascala that is threatened by duck droppings and garbage.

God did not put ducks in Il-Magħluq, people did and this has created problems

The nine and 10-year-old students will be writing about their concerns to various high profile people, including Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and President George Abela, who both live in Marsascala.

The schoolchildren who are sending a petition to the government. Photos: Matthew Mirabelli

The children fear the ecology at Il-Magħluq, a stretch of coastal wetland, is being damaged by ducks introduced a couple of years ago and garbage that litters the water.

Il-Magħluq is considered to be an area of ecological importance by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. It is also one of only three places in Malta that is home to the endangered Mediterranean killifish.

“We don’t want to harm the ducks but they have to be moved to another place because they are endangering the fish,” Annah Mallia told The Times, as her fellow pupils nodded.

Her co-student Destiny Mercieca was more specific: “God did not put ducks in Il-Magħluq, people did and this has created problems.”

The Year 5 children have spent months doing research about the site as part of the Marsascala primary school’s participation in the Eko-Skola programme, run by environmental group Nature Trust.

The students also collected signatures for their petition to save Il-Magħluq and during a school exhibition last week they were walking up to parents asking them to sign.

Diane Spiteri said they wanted to raise awareness about the area’s ecological importance because many people simply considered it a splash pool for ducks.

But their endeavours will not stop there.

“We will be writing an e-mail to the Prime Minister, the President, the mayor and the political parties urging them to take note of our plea and take the necessary action to save the place,” Diane added.

Rubbish on the banks at Il-Magħluq.

Their teacher, Audrey Massa, said the school project helped empower students. “The initiative helps them become active citizens because they learn to do something about issues of concern to them.”

She said the project was also used as a tool to teach various aspects of the syllabus linked to social studies, maths, English, Maltese, religion and science. The children are expecting to receive a reply to their e-mail and are determined not to give up.

They have also asked businesses to help print leaflets and posters, which they will distribute in the locality.

But it is not only the here and now the children are interested in.

Yana Frendo believes her children should also be able to see the killifish. “We want our children to say their parents did something to save nature.”

Anybody wanting to sign the petition can do so at the St Anne’s Marsascala primary school, part of the St Thomas More College.