Sixty per cent of the population believe that even if spring hunting is allowed it should not occur on weekends and 64 per cent want it to be stopped during school holidays, a survey by Din l-Art Ħelwa shows.

The segment opposing spring hunting over the weekend rises to 66 per cent among those aged 35 to 44. In the same age bracket, those opposing spring hunting during school holidays shoots up to 71 per cent.

When elected to power, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat introduced hunting on Sundays and public holidays in spring, a practice that had previously been banned. The survey results show that this was not supported by the majority of the population, who want the decision reversed and a hunting ban introduced for the whole weekend and all school holidays.

The figures were released ahead of the spring hunting referendum on April 11. A sample of 500 people participated in the survey, done by the heritage organisation as part of the ‘Save the countryside’ campaign in collaboration with Misco International.

This newspaper revealed the first part of the findings last Wednesday. These showed that 51 per cent believe spring hunting should be banned and that 55 per cent say that hunting limits public access to the countryside.

The segment opposing spring hunting over the weekend rises to 66% among those aged 35 to 44.Those opposed to school holidays shoots up to 71%

Twenty-one per cent of respondents think the enforcement of hunting laws is adequate.

The respondents make a clear distinction between the spring and autumn hunting seasons but a majority still believe hunt-ing should not occur during weekends (53 per cent) and school holidays (57 per cent) in autumn. Again, the figures increase significantly among the 35 to 44 age bracket, up to 61 per cent and 69 per cent, respectively.

The importance of the countryside for Maltese families during the traditional hunting and trapping periods emerges in the survey. Half the respondents say they walk or take a drive in the countryside each week in spring and a majority (55 per cent) said hunting restricted their access. The figure is also high in autumn and winter.

In autumn, 44 per cent of Maltese walk or take a drive in the countryside each week and 39 per cent said they did so in winter.

The summer heat draws people to the sea but 31 per cent still say they visit the countryside on a weekly basis.

The work in past years to introduce protected nature sites or parks in the countryside has not gone unnoticed with 79 per cent of respondents saying they visited at least one of these sites in the past year.

Reflecting the pressure the population feels the countryside is under, 88 per cent believe there should be more protected nature sites. No new nature sites or parks have been established since 2013, although there is at least one pending request to the government for an identified area to be declared as a nature site or park.

Last December, DLĦ, together with Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Nature Trust and BirdLife Malta, reminded the Prime Minister in a letter that he had agreed to the idea of establishing a nature park in the south and urged him to follow up on their proposal.

Key figures

• 60% say even if hunting is allowed in spring it should not occur on weekends.

• 64% do not want spring hunting during school holidays.

• 55% believe hunting restricts access to the countryside.

• 51% believe spring hunting should be banned.

• 21% think enforcement of hunting laws is adequate.

• 88% believe we should have more protected nature sites.