BirdLife today sent a questionnaire to general election candidates asking them to state their positions on a number of key issues related to wildlife protection, law enforcement and access to the countryside.

The questionnaire forms part of BirdLife Malta’s “Your Voice Counts” campaign, which urges members of the public to use their voices to speak out about abuses in the Maltese countryside when the canvassers come calling and demand action to end the illegal occupation of public land, properly enforce wildlife protection laws and make the countryside a safe place for all Maltese people to enjoy.

BirdLife hoped that by asking these questions and publishing the results it would be easier for the public to see where their candidates stood on these issues and take this into account when choosing their representatives.

 “These are not just issues of vital importance for the future of the Maltese countryside and its birds and wildlife, they are issues that impact on the 95 per cent of the Maltese population who have as much right to enjoy the countryside as the five per cent whose interests have dominated for so many years,” Steve Micklewright, executive directive of BirdLife Malta said.

BirdLife has set February 1 as a deadline for the return of the completed questionnaire, after which the results will be made public on the BirdLife Malta website.