Hunting at Majjistral Park, which had previously been unregulated, will only be allowed up to 10am all week during the autumn and spring hunting seasons.
The Government will assume responsibility in the next budget to honour payments and pay what is overdue- Environment Minister
Environment Minister Leo Brincat made the announcement yesterday after he named the park’s new board.
The Government has reached an agreement over the time restriction with hunters’ federation FKNK, which has offered to help with conservation, including removing derelict hides from the park.
Hunters must keep in mind that schoolchildren and families are frequent visitors, Mr Brincat said.
The board had tried to reach agreement with FKNK on hunting activity for years. It wanted to impose a 9.30am cut-off while the hunters have been pushing for noon.
Mr Brincat said a legal notice regulating access for hunters, trappers and cars and activities such as off-roading and horse riding should be issued in the coming weeks, following discussions with stakeholders.
The board will now be chaired by Carmen Sammut. Its members are Nadia Suda Lanzon from the planning authority, Martin Galea from Din l-Art Ħelwa, Vince Attard from Nature Trust, Rudolph Ragonesi from Gaia Foundation, Mellieħa mayor John Buttigieg, Darren Saliba as board secretary and Joe Cristina who will take care of finances.
A representative of the Land Directorate will be nominated at a later stage.
Majjistral Park, an extensive tract of land in the northwest, includes the coastal area stretching from Golden Bay to Il-Prajjet and ix-Xagħra l-Ħamra.
It is managed by the Heritage Parks Federation, which is made up of the three NGOs sitting on the board. They are involved in cultural restoration, environment protection and coastal management.
Mr Brincat noted that a distinction had to be made between park supervision and its day-to-day management.
The board also had to work autonomously from the Government.
Although the park was set up in 2007, it had operated in an inefficient and ineffective manner, he said.
He pointed out that the previous board lacked the “necessary chemistry” to operate and conflict between the stakeholders had prompted the NGO representatives to resign.
Mr Brincat also promised to “assume responsibility in the next budget to honour payments and pay what is overdue” to the park.
Gaia recently expressed concern over the previous government’s “abandonment” of the park, insisting the then Rural Affairs Ministry was persistently failing to honour its financial commitments related to management fees.
The total amount owed, for 2011 and 2012, is in the region of €111,000, according to the board.
The new chairwoman, Dr Sammut, lives near the park. She has been active in environmental associations in the past and lectures on environment-related issues at the University.
Yesterday she said she believed in the participation of civil society and would build bridges with all stakeholders, including the public.
Nature Trust’s Mr Attard said a visitors’ centre at the park’s barracks will be open by the end of the year.