An insect expert, plant specialist and bird lover have all been honoured with awards for their priceless contribution to knowledge of Malta's environment.
Entomologist David Dandria, botanist Edwin Lanfranco and ornithologist Joe Sultana all received the Environment and Resources Authority's Buonamico Award.
The national award, which is now in its second edition, recognises individuals who have significantly advanced knowledge of the local environment. It is named after Giovanni Francesco Buonamico, whose 1670 publication about Maltese flora makes him one of the country's first known botanists.
In a statement announcing the winners, the ERA noted that it was often dedicated individuals who helped fill gaps in environmental data sets.
The three winners were handed their awards by President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca in the course of an award ceremony held at the President's Palace.
David Dandria
Mr Dandria's expertise dates back several decades, with the entomologist having jointly published an Atlas of Plant Parasitic Nematodes of the Maltese Islands back in 1984.
Since then, he has published papers about local spiders, recording 137 varieties on the islands, including one species previously never discovered.
He has lectured at university and advised the government on agricultural matters in the run-up to Malta's EU accession. He is currently museum curator at the University of Malta's department of biology and is working together with David Mifsud on compiling a checklist of 4,000 species of Maltese arthropods.
Edwin Lanfranco
Edwin Lanfranco spent his career teaching students of all ages, starting in primary and continuing through to teaching botany at the University of Malta.
He has authored multiple scientific papers and articles, with a focus on Maltese and Mediterranean floristics, and has reported or discovered many species of plants for the first time in the Maltese Islands.
His work in identifying rare and threatened species was instrumental in authorities devising lists of protected flora and species in the 1980s.
Joe Sultana
Mr Sultana was instrumental in setting up the Għadira and Is-Simar protected areas and worked in various positions within the government's education and environmental protection departments throughout his career.
He has authored a number of seminal books concerning birds in Malta, with his interest especially focused on collecting data concerning seabirds.
Aside from serving in various roles within BirdLife Malta, he has served posts within European ornithological societies and the Council of Europe, and been handed honours by ornithological societies in the Netherlands and UK.