Last Thursday an assault on FAA Coordinator Astrid Vella was only prevented by the police who had to physically restrain a developer from assaulting her after a Mepa meeting, the NGOs said. On exiting the building the developer assaulted another objector, and this again required police intervention.

This incident took place during a meeting where a community of residents, as well as members of the Sliema Local Council, objected to the demolition of a house and the development of flats in an Urban Conservation Area.

The incident followed a vandal attack on the Wied Għol­lieqa Environment Centre run by NatureTrust, when last Monday vandals smashed the centre’s door, windows and furniture, causing extensive damage. The centre is used to teach students about biodiversity, sustainable development and climate change. The Wied Għol­lieqa Nature Reserve has been vandalised several times in the past.

Over the past week BirdLife Malta Raptor Camp volunteers were also subjected to incidents of verbal abuse and intimidation whilst they carry out their monitoring of illegal hunting.

"This lack of respect towards environmentalists always stems from individuals who have personal gain or interest from the destruction of nature and natural habitats, or from the destruction of our cultural heritage," the NGOs said.

"Environmental volunteers dedicate a great deal of time and effort to the preservation of Malta’s countryside, heritage, endangered species and quality of life. They have no personal interest nor gain, and work unselfishly towards the upholding of existing rules and regulations which ideally should be applied without the intervention of any NGO. An attack on these volunteers is an attack on the well-being of all residents of the Maltese islands."