It’s been going on for a while now: the authorities justifying the uprooting of trees during projects by citing relocation and replanting elsewhere. Not even our few avenues are safe from this mentality because they are under constant threat.
I should not have to drive miles out of my town to see mature trees as if I want to admire some rare animal in a zoo. So forget the propaganda about planting trees at the people’s zoo at Ta’ Qali or Delimara park, which is always closed anyway.
Our country is the most barren, lifeless piece of land in the EU and instead of an aggressive campaign to regenerate a lively green environment around our residences and educating people to appreciate the beauty of trees we have authorities, including Mepa, giving the green light to the senseless uprooting of mature trees all over the island.
Maltese who travel abroad are amazed by the striking difference they see between Malta and foreign cities, which all have parks and trees.
The crazy building of ugly blocks of flats in peripheral areas while having tens of thousands of vacant properties is simply outrageous and stupid in the context of what we are sacrificing. We have no governance in this country.
There is a limit on how much we should concede of our community assets in the form of virgin land for the sake of the economy or, rather, for the selfish interest of a few Neanderthal contractors and that limit has been surpassed.