The Environment and Resources Authority has issued a public consultation on green spaces, asking people to give their input on planning in natural, rural and urban settings.

One of the main environmental challenges faced today was the small size of the country and the loss of biodiversity associated with degradation, the ERA conceded.

The consultation document seeks to promote “green infrastructure” or environmentally-friendly approaches to landscaping and land management.

Both the Planning Authority and the ERA are meant to keep green infrastructure in mind when planning developments, the document says. The PA focuses on spatial planning and infrastructural developments while ERA is meant to target Natura 2000 and ecosystem services.

Both entities came under fire recently due to several developments that will drastically alter the already sparse natural landscape. Most recently, the Planning Authority and ERA chairman Victor Axiak were criticised for approving the db Group’s controversial 38-storey tower and 17-storey hotel at the Institute of Tourism Studies site in St George’s Bay.

Lack of awareness, knowledge and understanding hinders the development of green projects, the ERA conceded. Several aspects hinder the development of further green infrastructure, not least the failure to keep green infrastructure in mind in the development of projects, it said.

The lead entity to consolidate national efforts and to ensure that targets on green infrastructure development and implementation are met still needs to be identified, while remits and responsibilities of the various stakeholders are yet to be established.

You can read the public consultation document here