Italy has donated 1,100 trees to Malta that will be planted at the Foresta 2000 park in Mellieħa.

The trees were presented to the Minister of Resources and Rural Affairs, George Pullicino by the Italian Ambassador to Malta, Paolo Andrea Trabalza during a ceremony at the Biotechnology Centre in Lija.

A spokesman for the Italian Embassy noted that an afforestation programme between Italy and Malta had started in 2004 and in the first two years of the programme the Italian government donated 8,000 indigenous trees and shrubs to be planted as part of the Foresta 2000 project, an initiative of the Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs.

The project aims at developing the forest cover of the Maltese islands, to reintroduce, where possible, the native vegetation typical of the Mediterranean environment and to protect soil from water and wind erosion.

Italy has also offered the use of the highly-developed nursery systems of its Corpo Forestale dello Stato, whereby seeds from Maltese endemic trees were sent for propagation and planting in Malta, thus ensuring the conservation of the local genetic pool.

Moreover, training courses for Maltese technical officers and supervisors were held in Italy.