Anthropologist Mark Anthony Falzon did not hesitate when asked to be next chairman of the Ornis Committee, which advises the Government on hunting and trapping regulations.
“I said ‘yes’ straight away. I am extremely interested in the topic both academically and politically, with a small ‘p’,” he said yesterday when contacted.
The Government said that Prof. Falzon will replace ecologist Louis Cassar, who has decided to step down when his term ends at the end of this year.
I said yes straight away. I am extremely interested in the topic
Prof. Falzon’s appointment has raised eyebrows because he was unceremoniously removed from the committee in March, shortly after Labour was elected.
He was a little surprised to be asked to return as chairman but hopes his background in conservation and his anthropological fieldwork on hunting will help build trust on both sides of the divide.
“One of the biggest challenges will be building trust between [conservation NGO] Birdlife and the hunters’ federation [FKNK], because there is a lot of mutual distrust, particularly regarding statistics,” Prof. Falzon said.
The Parliamentary Secretariat for Animal Rights, which is responsible for hunting, said Prof. Falzon was chosen after discussions with Birdlife and the FKNK, which both have seats on the committee.
“Prof. Falzon is eminently qualified to be chair due to his impressive academic record and deep insight on issues of relevance to the work of the committee,” the secretariat said.
Prof. Falzon was a member of Birdlife’s forerunner, the Malta Ornithological Society, until 1996, and he is a qualified scientific bird-ringer. While Prof. Falzon counts good friends among members of the conservation NGO, he has conducted anthropological fieldwork with hunters over the past five years and has a deep scholarly interest in their passion.
His knowledge of hunting issues is evidenced by several articles he has had published internationally in anthropological journals.
When he was removed from the committee in March, Prof. Falzon pointed out in his weekly column in The Sunday Times of Malta that he was dropped without an evaluation of his expertise and contributions.
The Ornis Committee is made up of two members from the FKNK and two from Birdlife, three government appointees, two “experts”, a chairman, secretary and an Environment Protection Directorate representative.
The Parliamentary Secre-tariat said that the full composition of next year’s committee was not yet finalised.
It did not discount the possibility that Dr Cassar could continue to provide professional support to Ornis.
When contacted, Dr Cassar said the Government had asked him to reconsider his decision to step down.
“As much as I would have liked to stay on, this would not have allowed me to give the requisite attention to other commitments,” said Dr Cassar, who was appointed last March.
These commitments included research and work in environmental management and conservation with students at the University, he added.
Birdlife executive director Steve Micklewright thanked Dr Cassar for his chairmanship of Ornis “during a very difficult year for bird conservation on the Maltese islands”.
“We also welcome the appointment of Mark Anthony Falzon.
“He has been an independent member of the committee so understands how it works and he is also a fair and reasonable person that would act impartially and without any prejudice towards either of the main stakeholders,” he said.
The FKNK did not respond to a request for comment.