A budding naturalist with an empty Horlicks jar collects stick insects and writes down his observations for posterity. Another ardent fan of nature observes how bats negotiate the man-made environment as they struggle to return to their roost – a ventilation hole in an apartment building.
The black whip snake seen swimming in a drain at Għadira reserve, a butterfly accepting a drink of orange squash – these and other fascinating behaviours, all recorded in the 1970s and 1980s, are noted in newsletters of the Society for the Study and Conservation of Nature (1974), originally the Natural History Society of Malta (1962).
1962 was a good year for the beginning of what are today known as non-governmental organisations active in the field of environmentalism. The Malta Ornithological Society, outspoken precursor to Birdlife Malta, was formed that same year to combat the ever-growing problem of bird hunting.
The evolution of the Society for the Study and Conservation of Nature (SSCN) was a natural step from what was a Victorian (verging on voyeuristic) approach to nature into the modern era of NGOs.
Heading out into the countryside, committee members in the early days would spend blissful hours capturing, examining, observing, sketching… even taking hapless specimens back home for release into their gardens and further study – as was the case with one hapless Potamon fluviatile Lanfrancoi, the fresh water crab (Qabru).
Named after this native crab, which digs and inhabits burrows near streams, the Potamon newsletter has, figuratively speaking, been put in an observation jar. It has been digitised. This valuable archive, covering not only the wealth of knowledge collected by members but a glimmer of the firebrand formative years of the environmental movement in Malta, is a great resource now available to all.
The digitisation of Potamon came about as part of a Natural Heritage Malta project, a library providing access to a legacy of literature on natural heritage which may have previously had a limited circulation or been in private collections.
Projects in Motion Ltd has so far met the costs involved as part of its corporate social responsibility, working with Birdlife and Nature Trust, the National Library, government, University and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to make this wealth of knowledge available for global use while inviting local patrons of the natural environment to share any studies they may hold.
Between notes from members relating detailed descriptions of plants, insects, fish and mammals, the first stirrings of the importance of habitats, in which the natural world resides, are seen here. Among in-depth reports of wild flowers spotted on nature walks and the antics of a parade of interesting creatures, a healthy tension between the old guard and a brimming new awareness is tangible.
The first issue of Potamon back in June 1979 launches straight into a discourse on Latin names:
“In all sorts of literature on natural history ample use is made of scientific (‘Latin’) names of creatures; a fact which puts off many beginners and often provokes accusations of pedantry from some quarters.” The scene was set for a hot debate on zoological nomenclature, and much more.
It is not until Issue 4 that we see the first real kick of embryonic environmental leanings growing in the SSCN’s belly, with a brief sentence which appeared in the newsletter as a filler, in capital letters:
“The wise management of natural resources is the key to the future survival of the human race.”
Possibly this was the most profound pronouncement ever to come out of the society.
Then, barely two years from its inception came a low point. Apathy among members and poor attendance at activities was threatening the society’s very survival. It took a mini-revolution to forge new interest in the group.
Fortunately, the emergence of an ‘experimental’ youth section saw membership climb to the 200 mark in 1984. These were days of great hope and aspiration, combined with growing pains of a new energy rebelling against the conservative ways of some of the older members.
1962 was a good year for the beginning of what are today known as non-governmental organisations active in the field of environmentalism
The SSCN committee issued the first poster and sticker for help protect the leatherback turtle and tried to dissuade shell collectors who were putting a dent in the coastal environment.
A young activist by the name of Saviour Balzan, in a letter to the editor of Potamon, dryly salutes the initiative as “a step forward in the otherwise untouched subject of conservation of the marine environment”. Balzan was to later accompany divers when a young dolphin and its parent were trapped at the Inland Sea in Gozo, to help them back to the open sea.
The society was urged to produce more promotional material for the protection of terrestrial mammals such as the weasel, rabbit, bat and hedgehog. At the same time, Balzan took issue with the use of Latin names preferred by the society in its appeal to protect wild flowers, asking: “Was this appeal directed to botanists only? It would have been more useful to ordinary people and school teachers had common names been included.”
Balzan was also for a number of years the public relations officer for Malta Ornithological Society. Both organisations had a fiery youth section with ambitions to break out beyond the comfort zone of nature study and steer the public toward caring for the habitats that harboured all forms of nature on these islands.
SSCN put out a ‘Country Code for the Maltese Islands’, which advised against the taking of wildlife or cutting of flowers when out for a walk in the countryside. Within its 25-year lifespan there were many other actions, including protests issued in writing to the local authorities and a petition for protection of the newsletter’s namesake, the freshwater crab. Other activities included walks, clean-ups, courses, photo competitions, reports and exhibitions.
From there it was a small step to wider environmental activism and a more anthropocentric view with humans as the central focus in terms of pollution and health issues. It was not long before a number of these actors entered the political fray.
In one of the last issues of Potamon, SSCN credits thanks to the Green Movement and Żgħażagħ għall-Ambjent. The latter, as its founders were no longer so young, became Moviment għall-Ambjent, before splitting into Friends of the Earth (Malta) and the Green Party, Alternattiva Demokratika.
A 1999 merger of SSCN with three other environmental NGOs (Arbor, Verde and Marine Life Care Group) saw the formation of today’s Nature Trust.
Coming up by a different route, with an interest rooted in built history rather than living organisms, Din L-Art Helwa (1965) is today another of the more outspoken NGOs, along with the relative newcomer Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (2006), both taking planning and landscape perspectives as their battle plan.
All these years later we have a very fine set of marine protection areas in place, but are still waiting for management and enforcement. On the bright side, Potamon’s early reports of dolphins being shot at by fisherman and turtles being served in hotels as soup are now, for the most part, history.
In the past few years a ‘do-your-own-thing’ type of movement has sprung up with vaguely green accoutrements, promoting yoga, camping, healthy eating, avoidance of pesticides and a generally good time to be had by all. There is also an energetic litter campaign afoot which reflects a ‘roll-up-your-sleeves-and-let’s-fix-it’ timbre.
To access issues of Potamon from 1979 to 1984 visit link below:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-coHjRMCb0-alFDWnBlbTg3VlE&usp=sharing&tid=0B-coHjRMCb0-d2cyMGxZQmdLdW8 .