Giovanni Bonello’s tirade against trees planted on and near bastions (The Sunday Times, November 18) was cited a week later by another article written by Michael Falzon, the chairman of the Malta Developers’ Association, (The Sunday Times, November 25), who described how the removal of trees from the urban Maltese landscape is frequently justified.
Bonello is deservedly highly respected for his historical knowledge regarding the times when the Order of St. John ruled the Islands. In his article he is obviously irritated that the awesome bastions built during the times of the knights have been partially hidden by trees planted during British and Maltese rule.
The article is accompanied by a picture of immense fortifications rising above a now mature and beautiful planted forest. Where others see natural beauty Bonello sees disrespect to Maltese history. But is that correct? Today it seems hard to believe, but way before the time of the knights, way before any bastions were built, Malta was mostly covered by a mature forest of evergreen oaks and pines. It was only after man’s arrival here that the islands were gradually reduced to a barren rocky landscape.
The knights themselves did not like the idea of their transfer to arid Malta after the greenery of Cyprus and Rhodes. They planted gardens in many places, leaving out the the walled cities only because trees would have allowed attackers a covered approach. That was the reality of ancient warfare. But should we remain stuck to that harsh past? At that time there were no factories, no traffic, and no power-stations billowing out tonnes of polluting gasses into our towns every single day.
Today trees do not just offer welcome summer shade and visual protection from bright sunlight reflected off the white stonework. It is scientifically proven that they actively condition the surrounding urban air we breath, consuming pollution, releasing oxygen and lowering the temperature through evapo-transpiration.
Most Europeans have realised these valuable benefits and continually plant trees in their cities. Would the hospit-allers themselves, with their historical interest in human health have disregarded this modern reality in order to show off their bastions?
Maltese developers are determined to belittle people who have their health at heart as ‘self styled environmentalists’, using any excuse to rip up mature trees in order to replace them with concrete structures. Given Bonello’s respect and position he has at Mepa, I plead with him not to offer these people any more excuses for destroying our urban green guardians.