Now that the countryside has come back to life I turned to a favourite website to help in the identification of an unfamiliar plant. I was shocked and disappointed to find that www.maltawildplants.com is no longer available.

The author of the site, Stephen Mifsud, cites lack of funds as the main reason for suspending it.

The site was set up 10 years ago and featured nearly 1,000 species of plant, fully described and illustrated. The search facility of identification by flower colour was especially useful for amateur wild flower enthusiasts. The site recorded upwards of 25,000 hits per month but has failed to attract sponsorship to keep it going.

Recently there has been a lot of publicity given to eco-tourism and the value of the countryside as a tourist attraction.

The wild flora of the Maltese islands surely plays an important part in attracting visitors and this website was an excellent means of promoting it to potential visitors.

The scientific value of the site was no less significant. The author has documented and published details of new species and new Maltese records of known species.

I urge the Ministry of Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Tourism and potential sponsors to ensure that this valuable website is revived.

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