The murder of journalist/blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia is likely to continue featuring high on the country’s agenda, certainly until justice is done and the government begins to restore confidence in the country’s institutions. Moving on does not mean any slackening of political and civic pressure for urgent action to stop the rot.

It is imperative not to ignore other developments taking place, whether good or bad. Otherwise, the country will stand still and that will not be good for the people’s well-being.

Besides crime, lack of good governance, sheer political arrogance, widespread political patronage, a sharp fall in values and standards, the ever-weakening power of regulatory authorities and traffic congestion, there are other serious concerns rapidly taking stronger importance in the national agenda. They too need to be addressed and, hopefully, solved.

The degradation of the environment is one such grave worry, which is why, in this context, most would have welcomed the news that the government has in mind setting up an agency that would not only manage protected areas but would also come up with steps to make the countryside – or the little that is left of it – more accessible to the public.

It is also planned that the agency, Ambjent Malta (Environment Malta), would promote a green infrastructure in urban areas and that higher fines will be imposed for littering. Even though the plan is short on detail, the objective sounds fine. Of course, only time will tell whether, like so many other initiatives, it will fall by the wayside. Hopefully not but one should not hold one’s breath.

After so many years of wilful neglect, it will take more than a mission statement for any agency charged with the aims set by the government to make tangible progress. To begin with, the government has to give solid evidence it believes in what it says for, what confidence can the people have in the future of an environment protection agency if the government chooses to flout the most important objective, the protection of virgin land?

To be credible, the government would first need to reverse its decision to give part of Żonqor Point over for development. Clawing back parts of the countryside from illegal possession by people who do not think twice of putting up the sign “Private: Do not enter” on public land is easier said than done, more so if the land in question has been taken over by friends of friends within the establishment.

Other than this very thorny problem, stretches of unprotected countryside remain in a bad state as hideous illegal structures mar what could have otherwise been idyllic places. It is not unheard of for a rubble wall to be replaced by a brick wall.

Ultimately, an agency of the kind being suggested would only be able to make headway if it is adequately funded. For the agency toget the possible results, it wouldalso be ideal if it works closely with organisations already manning protected sites and with other environmental bodies.

When so much has already been lost to development, protecting and enhancing the natural heritage ought to remain a priority in the country’s development. But it is not just the protected areas that need to be managed but the unprotected places too.

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