One ingredient in an 18th-century recipe for rabbit stew is a rare Maltese olive, the Perla Maltese or the Maltese pearl. This is also known as the bajda olive, and gets its name from its unusual, whitish-pink colour.

This intriguing variety of olive almost became extinct until some old surviving trees were discovered a few years ago. It is now being regrown and propagated. Saplings will be for sale at the government nursery in October, as reported in the Times of Malta last week.

Besides the quality of the fruit, or the ecological importance of an indigenous species, some of the enthusiasm and curiosity at the heart of this venture lies in rediscovering the past. Olive trees also conjure up the flavours of a healthy and aromatic Mediterranean cuisine, with visions of fresh crusty bread dipped in olive oil or drizzled over tasty pasta dishes with onion or garlic.

Mediterranean food inspires dreams of sunshine, blue sea and a simpler, traditional way of life. Good cookbooks offer much more than a list of ingredients and techniques and are filled with emotions, brimming with nostalgia and desire. They are an escape into the past, exploring traditions, national character and identity.

While some people are devoting their energy to preserving Maltese traditions, landscape, lifestyle and cuisine – including Maltese olives – others in positions of power and influence are hell-bent on going in the opposite direction. With the support of like-minded people at the Planning Authority and government minis­tries, they are rapidly obliterating the place.

One of the concerns regarding the develop­ment of Mrieħel as a high-rise area, for example, is the inevitable loss of the sightlines between Mdina and Valletta. To some people the strategic importance of this view to Malta’s history may seem irrelevant, but history and archaeology are not only about preserving or studying precious objects or ancient artefacts.

Standing at Mdina and looking at the panoramic view towards the Grand Harbour is a central pleasure in understanding and experiencing Malta’s history

Standing at Mdina and looking at the panoramic view towards the Grand Harbour is a central pleasure in understanding and experiencing Malta’s history. People are emotionally attached to this view.

Mrieħel lies directly within this historic sightline between Mdina, Valletta and the Three Cities. Once the area is developed into a high-rise zone, this viewpoint will vanish. Gasan and Tumas groups are leading the way with their Mrieħel Towers. If this project is built, it will surely be followed by others at Mrieħel and we will have a forest of skyscrapers right in the centre of Malta, obscuring the view.

The past is fragile. It is impossible, and undesirable, to preserve everything. Re­cording and documenting information is perhaps more crucial and long-lasting than trying to save physical objects or landscapes. Nothing is permanent. We would not know about the Perla Maltese, for example, unless it was recorded in a recipe.

But first-hand experience is completely different to reading about something in a book. If the Perla Maltese had become extinct, nobody could have rediscovered and saved it. In the end, we do not simply want to read about or see pictures of the Maltese white pearl olive, but we want to see, touch, smell and taste it.

Once you destroy a landscape it cannot be replaced. Photographs of the old vista are nice, but they are no substitute for the real thing.

• The first big, public test of the supposed independence and strength of the new Environment and Resources Authority has failed. When decisions to approve high-rise buildings at Mrieħel and Tigné were taken the previous week, with huge and long-term impacts on Malta’s landscape, nobody from the ERA was present to vote or ask questions.

Environment officers did not explain or give a presentation on the environmental studies, as they would have in the past. They no longer form part of the Planning Authority and are now external to the process.

If the ERA disagrees with these board decisions on high-rise, its only option is to appeal to a tribunal. This is costly and time-consuming. If the ERA loses the appeal, its reputation will sink further.

When the Mepa demerger was under way, the government repeatedly presented this new right to appeal by government entities as a step forward. Environmental NGOs, and planning and legal experts said this would not work, and they were absolutely right.

Government authorities are just that: they are the authority in their subject. The medicines authority decides about medicines. The gaming authority has the final word about gaming. In other words, if the transport authority has a position about roads, or the health authority has concerns about health, the Planning Authority should bow down and listen.

Likewise, the environment authority should rule on environmental matters and the heritage authority on heritage.

It is nonsense for the Planning Authority to grant permits on the basis that other authorities can appeal afterwards if they disagree. The planners should respect the opinions of other authorities at the first instance, and not at the tail-end of the process following a legal battle between two government entities at a tribunal. This is a dysfunctional and confrontational system.

This madness was flagged clearly before the Mepa demerger but the government only listened to its own consultants, whose motives for creating this procedural mess are best known to themselves.

petracdingli@gmail.com