The overall positive response to the publication of the draft management plan brief for the Nwadar National Nature Park augurs well.

The technically drawn up consultation document that will see the steering committee receiving feedback up to the end of this month has nothing in it that is cast in stone.

Not only is there a commitment that feedback on this draft brief will be welcome from anyone with an interest in seeing such a park established and successfully set up in this particular southern region of the Maltese islands but there is also a firm commitment that the input received will be taken into consideration by the steering committee in drawing up the final document.

The document was prepared independently from the outline development proposals for the American University of Malta project proposed at Żonqor Point in Marsascala.

So much so that it is being recommended that this development should take full knowledge of and be guided accordingly bythis brief.

While owners of property within the park should be aware that proposals in this document have no bearing on their land title, there is nothing in thisproject proposal that could be construed as a compensatory environmental gesture to make good for the establishment of the educational project which still needs to be subjected to the relevant regulatory bodies once its plans are formulated.

When last year the government announced its intention of establishing this park along the coastal area bordering Xgħajra, Żabbar and Marsascala local councils’ areas, the Office of the Prime Minister set up a steering committee which was entrusted with preparing the brief, while stocktaking the existing characteristics and uses of the area, with a view to setting out a vision, objectives and priority actions and identifying potential funding avenues.

During its 22 meetings the steering committee consulted a wide range of stakeholders including NGOs, farmers and landowners within the area, local councils, local communities and economic operators.

While the public and interested organisations have been invited to send their submissions online, the consultation meeting at Żabbar was meant to give those present the opportunity to air their views and suggestions.

There is nothing in this project proposal that could be construed as a compensatory environmental gesture to make good for the establishment of the educational project

While I was erroneously reported as having specifically referred to decisions regarding hunting and trapping, all I did was state that while we remained committed to honour the consultation period running up to the end of March this year, I called for tight regulation of any practices that might be allowed together with strict observance of the law, although it will ultimately be a government decision how the park will be run and what its remit should be.

What the draft management plan brief did say was the following: “The major permanent land use is agriculture. Livestock farming is concentrated in the north western part of the park area.

“Sustaining crop production through efficient use of resources, particularly treated water, could help achieve sustainability objectives. The enforcement of existing regulations should reduce, if not eliminate, the potential conflicts arising from hunting, trapping and off-roading interfering with agriculture and park visitors.

“The coastal area adjacent to the park is not identified as an official bathing area and, therefore, not included in the national bathing water quality monitoring programme. The potential of caravan use in the park requires further assessment.

“Existing footpaths may provide access between the park itself and the wider rural area and residential communities in the hinterland.

“At the same time, the illegal road development on site has opened the area to uncontrolled vehicular access.

“Visitor access to the park needs to be managed andcurrent access points from Xgħajra, Marsascala and Żabbar safeguarded. The urban and infrastructure developments close to and within the park may reduce its attractiveness, especially if there are visual impacts from a lack of sensitive design and landscaping.

“Even the marine side needs to be probed further, since the main uses identified seem to have been recreational fisheries, scuba diving and snorkelling, although no statistics or data seem to exist to ascertain the scale.”

For the record our brief as a ministry will be to ensure that both the governance board and the implementation board proposed in the draft management plan will stick faithfully to their terms of reference once the pro-ject gets underway. As I see it, effective management of the park will be pivotal to its success.

This type of park cannot be run either as the Ta’ Qali national park or the Marsascala family park.

While the report drew on the three types of management structures prevalent in local parks to date, the draft report concluded that experience has shown that sites are managed best when there is an administrative structure in place, preferably with a functioning management made up of members from different entities and a varietyof backgrounds.

This approach would thus enable shared decision-making and respective responsibilities to be made clear. I invite all those interested in making their submissions to read the draft management plan brief carefully.

Particularly the SWOT analysis for the management of the park, that also helped the hard working, excellent technical steering committee members to develop the vision and identify the main objectives for the park.

Government remains open to ideas, suggestions and even criticism from all those of good will who have every interest in seeing this large tract of abandoned land that is equivalent to the land area of the built up part of Rabat, Malta and/or Gudja/Għaxaq combined, earning itself the long overdue care and attention that it has always merited.

Leo Brincat is Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change.