Rambler Jonathan Henwood has a passion for walking around Malta’s countryside and one of his favourite spots is a picturesque area known as Blata Tal-Melħ in Baħrija.
But, earlier this year, when he was on one of his walks, he found that a gate had suddenly spouted along one of the paths leading to the area, blocking access.
Over the past weeks – as the country debated the spring hunting referendum – several people complained about not being allowed to enjoy the countryside because of RTO signs or gates placed by hunters.
The most frustrating part of it all is that members of the public have no way of knowing if these signs, that claim land is private and cannot be trespassed, are legitimate or not.
Alex Vella, president of the Rambler’s Association, said the association received many complaints on these lines.
For many years the association has been calling on the government to draw up a definitive map of Malta and Gozo that would outline whether land is public or private.
The association recently held a meeting with Environment Minister Leo Brincat during which they asked him to reconsider a petition – which he tabled in Parliament on their behalf in 2009 – to start drawing up this map.
What we are not realising is that letting people through actually creates an economy
Mr Vella said the association was also recommending that proof of ownership should be affixed to any sign blocking access to an area.
He said none of the RTO signs in place at the moment were official and that, technically, the public had a right to walk along paths so long as they did not trample on farmed land.
He added that, towards the end of the Nationalist Party administration, a draft law on public domain had been published. But the law never got to see the light of day.
Rambler Steve Bonello agreed that a definitive map would ensure that the public’s rights were respected. He gave the example of Majestral Park where, before it was declared public land, there was a problem with encroachment.
Mr Henwood, an environmental scientist who is also the author of several walking books, added that Malta also needed a law on public domain to ensure that certain areas, such as those along the coast, were accessible even if the land was private.
He gave the example of a wall recently built on private land in the Ta’ Ċenċ area, blocking off access to the cliffs.
“What we are not realising is that letting people through actually creates an economy,” he said as he stressed that the source of the problem was not limited to hunters. Even farmers blocked off land sometimes as they feared people trampling over their crops.
He feels the solution lies in bringing about a cultural change based on encouraging trust and removing the “it’s mine” mentality.