The Mediterranean is a region of tension between development pressures and the need to preserve important ecosystems. Efforts to strike the right balance between conscientious human activity and the conservation of biodiversity, ecosystems and landscapes, have come together in a book which should serve as a manual for Gozo's sustainable future.
Until now, Gozo has escaped the mass urbanisation experienced in Malta over the past few decades. Before it is too late, due attention should be paid to A Landscape Approach to Conservation, published by Unesco and the University of Malta's International Environment Institute, authored by the institute's director, Louis Cassar.
A central concern throughout the book is the trend of landscape change, particularly ever-increasing construction activity and its influence Gozo's rural character. The defining characteristics of the island's distinctiveness and rural charm offer "a meaningful change and a means of escape" from urbanised Malta.
On the other side of the fence, however, writes Cassar, lurks a somewhat different facet: Remorseless, unsustainable, "almost mercenary" elements of the property market often vie to acquire property with scenic views and attractive unspoilt surroundings, at times in environmentally sensitive areas.
"In view of their influence, in economic and investment terms, some development proposals, even if in remote areas specifically safeguarded from development through policy, are sometimes given due consideration... and more."
Gozitan villages are attractive to some real estate agents for potential conversion of the occasional quaint farmhouse with authentic rustic features. On the other hand, the systematic and rapid conversion of typical townscapes and villages into a faceless urban mass is on the increase.
Conservation within this context is a complex affair, particularly given varied and conflicting demands on land within a small area. For this very reason, it is difficult to consider conservation without giving due regard to all the dimensions making up a landscape, both natural and human.
"Landscapes provide a uniquely dynamic setting, a living space or arena for the drama of life," asserts the author, and thus they provide a feasible setting within which to address concerns of conservation and sustainability. Conservation is, after all, more than simply seeking to preserve the object of interest. It is also about ensuring it will persist and flourish, and this cannot be done without due consideration being given to the bigger picture, including humans and their activities.
During the course of the study described in the book, ecological communities across the island of Gozo were assessed in terms of their conservation value. Nine hotspot sites stood out as important repositories of biological diversity within which are found several endemic, rare and threatened species. However, Cassar asserts that protecting such sites will not be enough.
Conservation specialists have noted that a scattered approach is insufficient to ensure long-term conservation. They call for an increase in protected sites, in both size and number, combined with measures that will link biodiversity resources across a landscape. A key strategic recommendation from this work focuses on connectivity, in order to ensure continuity of habitat. This can be achieved at different scales.
Gozo itself serves as a bio-geographical link for birds during their spring and autumn migrations, providing a stepping stone between Cap Bon in north Africa and Monte Ciccia in Sicily. Similar linkages need to be ensured even within Gozo, with the provision of tactical connections between local sites through appropriate corridors. Multiple tracts of habitat functioning as one interacting system are more effective than isolated habitats.
Cassar's work also highlights the importance of working with people. Conservation, once seen as the preserve of the elite seeking to safeguard pockets of nature from people, has come to recognise the importance of linking ecological and social goals. Modern conservation now looks at working with people while safeguarding resources for people.
The participatory approach adopted and endorsed in this study is marked by involvement of all affected stakeholders, collaborating towards viable conservation policies.
For example, one recommendation that comes out of the book is to identify certain areas where the cultural aspect of grazing within a Mediterranean landscape may be allowed, bearing in mind the effects on vegetation. This is just one instance of how the book may serve as a regional and international manual for conservation.
It is hoped that this book, which outlines a method of linking natural and social sciences for conservation, will act as a spur for genuine and proactive conservation efforts in Gozo and beyond.