A dead mulberry tree. Photo: Alfred Baldacchino

A few weeks ago, it was reported that carob trees have been dying as a result of a beetle that is causing the trees’ leaves to dry up and sometimes leading to the tree shedding all its leaves.

Sadly, the carob tree is not the only victim. A huge number of indigenous trees have been subjected to what can be described as an onslaught and, unless we act fast, Malta is soon going to be deprived not only of its trees but also of indigenous produce such as olive oil.

Alfred Baldacchino, qualified in environment planning and management, says how irreparable damage started some 10 to 15 years ago with the loss of palm trees, followed by the mulberry, fig trees and now the alarming danger to carob, vines, almonds, pomegranates, citrus and other varieties. He attributes the increasing loss of local trees to the lack of concern and willingness from the local authorities. There is minor, if any, official damage control intervention, he says.

Worryingly, a recent report noted how the Mediterranean olive tree is in danger of being destroyed by a killer pathogen called xylella fastidiosa. In neighbouring Sicily and Italy – from where many local garden centres and landscapers import their trees – it’s already wreaking havoc. This means that probably, it’s not a matter of if but when the xylella fastidiosa arrives in Malta.

What is concerning is that according to Baldacchino, the government is not taking any proactive measures. The control and eradication process of harmful plant pests in Malta falls under the responsibility of the Plant Health Directorate within the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights, which is the national plant protection organisation.

“Olive trees and many other trees are still being imported mainly for commercial purposes without any concern for our local economic, social and ecological fabric,” Baldacchino says. “The line of least resistance is used, with the authorities saying that no action can be taken to stop such imports because of free movement of goods.

“The EU free movement of goods concept is nonchalantly used as an excuse for not taking any official measures. This is just a convenient excuse and lack of will to do anything to curtail and prevent such massacre of local flora, to accommodate a short-sighted pro-business vision at the expense of the public and our natural environment.”

The arrival of the xylella fastidiosa in Malta would be a disaster for the local olive industry, both financially, socially and ecologically.

The problem gets worse still as the fig plant, already in steady decline, is under attack by the mulberry long-horned beetle and by a small beetle. Baldacchino also attributes this situation to political mismanagement. The beetle’s former source of food was the ficus tree, but these were chopped down from our streets and the beetle is looking for an alternative food supply.

To add insult to injury, more fig trees are being imported to replace the lost local ones. In so doing, besides commercially accommodating importers of such trees, the danger of further importation of invasive species is more acute. More food supply is being provided for such beetles.

In small communities, the loss of one species could have a devastating effect

There are adequate professional people in Malta who can propagate such fig trees from local stock, underlines Baldacchino.

“This would help create further jobs, offer more opportunities for training in this field and utilise the multiplier effort of money exported to buy such trees from overseas. Furthermore, it will protect the local ecosystem from more invasive alien species. But money talks and in this case it also grow on trees.”

Speaking about the domino effect of the loss of the fig tree, Antoine Gatt, a landscape architect and project manager of the LifeMedGreenRoof Project at the University of Malta, says that in small communities, the loss of one species could have a devastating effect on the whole community.

“What is also known is that without nature our quality of life will deteriorate. So as to limit the chance of losing what we have, it’s best to diversify. We have the habit of doing things in bursts. One day we plant the whole island with palms, the next it’s olives and so on and so forth. If we had to diversify the species we use, especially if they are local varieties or native species, if something happens to one species the effect will not be so drastic.”

When asked what is being done to prevent further trees from being destroyed by these species, Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes says that, “in order to monitor the presence, extent and distribution of pests in Malta, the Plant Health Directorate conducts annual surveys in agriculture holdings, gardens, parks and woodlands and relevant action is taken according to the findings. When infected plants or trees are found, farmers and growers are advised on the best control measures to be taken in order to control and prevent further spread of the pest”.

Local olive trees

Such measures may involve good agricultural practices or pesticide control. In certain cases, enforcement is issued for the felling and burning of trees that are heavily infested.

When asked further about preventative measures, Mr Galdes says: “Preventing the entry of harmful organisms in Malta is carried out through the examination of imported consignments from third countries through identity and physical checks, and accompanying documentation as well as monitoring and surveillance of intra-trade EU commodities concerning plant and plant products.”

Galdes adds that the secretariat constantly informs the public on emerging pests. In order to avoid further loss of local trees, the ministry is currently implementing a project for the sustainable conservation of varieties of local plants, with the aim to avoid further degradation as well as to promote various landraces of a number of crops which are known to have been genetically weakened and are at risk of extinction.

According to Galdes, in the coming weeks, the secretariat is also be launching an action plan for the control of emerging pests.

Apart from disease, plants and trees are facing other forms of danger: the destruction of gardens and overdevelopment is having an impact on the flora and fauna in urban areas. Some of the problems in urban areas can be mitigated but it’s always best to prevent than to cure. For instance, green roofs can be used to reduce flooding and reduce the carbon footprint of building through insulation.

Echoing Baldacchino, Gatt comments how mismanagement and bad agricultural practices also affect plant health, especially when it comes to the irresponsible use of pesticides and other agrochemicals.

“The extraction of ground water is having a negative effect on watercourses and the environment in valleys. Soil sealing – the sealing of permeable surfaces through urbanisation and the loss of soil areas – reduces the possibility of surface water run-off to percolate into the underlying rock, replenishing ground water.”

These are some of the problems that plague the natural environment and the living organisms found within it, he stresses. Because most of the population lives within urban areas, many have forgotten that humans rely on the integrity and health of the natural environment to survive.

Does Baldacchino think it’s too late to save our trees?

“It’s never too late to take action,” he says. “However, the longer preventive and other measures are postponed and not taken, the more difficult it will be and more damage will be done.

“If there is no will, no awareness and no professional management plans to tackle such problems, we will not save the local trees. Society and the environment will have a higher financial price to pay.”