A new agency to manage protected areas is a move in the right direction, provided it does not come up with red tape for NGOs or become a quango, according to environmentalists.
Nature Trust Malta president Vince Attard and environmentalists Alan Deidun and Edward Mallia were commenting about the announcement made in the Budget speech last week.
Although few details have emerged so far, it appears the proposed agency, Ambjent Malta, will be responsible for Natura 2000 sites and come up with initiatives to make the countryside more accessible to the public.
It will also have the remit to promote a “green infrastructure” in urban areas. The move would be accompanied by stricter enforcement and higher fines to deter public littering, the Finance Minister said.
The announcement raised concern that such an entity would duplicate the work already being carried out by the Environment and Resources Authority.
However, according to an Environment Ministry spokesman, the move would let the ERA focus exclusively on regulatory matters, while Ambjent Malta would focus on “operational parameters”.
Asked for further details, the spokesman said the setting up of this entity was included in the Labour Party’s electoral manifesto, with the objective of consolidating the work done by existing State entities like the PARKS directorate.
“As a primary principle, Ambjent Malta will have a mandate to promote the preservation, conservation, protection and enhancement of Malta’s natural capital for future generations, thus ensuring the provision of high-quality environmental information and education,” he said.
In their initial reaction, both Mr Attard and Prof. Deidun, a marine biologist, were positive.
Nature Trust manages the Xrobb l-Għaġin Park, in Delimara, and is in talks to take over the Pembroke Natura 2000 site, Il-Magħluq in Marsascala and Il-Ballut ta’ Marsaxlokk.
Mr Attard expressed agreement in principle with the establishment of Ambjent Malta as long as it did not introduce any bureaucratic hurdles. “Will this entity support NGOs like us to administer certain sites? The proof of the pudding will be in the eating,” he remarked.
Prof. Deidun pointed out that in other countries the environmental watchdog does not run protected areas itself, to avoid possible conflicts of interest.
“This is a positive development, as the ERA has no resources to implement the various management plans for protected areas. Having a dedicated agency which is under constant scrutiny of the regulator is a move in the right direction,” he remarked.
Environmentalist Edward Mallia was morecritical in his assessment: “I hope this is not a quango to have more jobs for the boys when the election is near or to dish out direct orders.”
Prof. Mallia also expressed concern that ERA was being consistently disregarded by the Planning Authority, most recently in the sanctioning of a private zoo. Moreover, Prof. Mallia questioned whether the environmental watchdog had enough resources to carry out its existing duties.
“For the past two months, air monitoring data, which the ERA collects through its various stations like that in Msida, is no longer available to the public,” he pointed out.
Prof. Mallia expressed his disappointment that despite flagging the matter, the situation had not yet been resolved.