‘Malta is Crying Out for Trees’ Says Environment Minister

The government of Malta is eyeing an area in the country's main island to make into a small version of Buskett Gardens, in hopes that wildlife would be encouraged to settle in the new wooded area.

"Malta is crying out for trees," Environment Minister José Herrera said, as quoted by Times of Malta. "I am very disappointed that over the past five years, the amount of afforestation has been minimal... only around a thousand trees a year."

The minister is firm in having more trees indigenous to Malta, saying that he is against certain contractors who plant trees and shrubs that are not endemic to the country. Some of the alien species, he said, do more harm than good because they destroy the natural habitat in their surroundings.

"I would like to see the planting of trees which are endemically Maltese," he said. "This is something I think we should even legislate on."

The place was chosen following a research to find a suitable area for government use. Their search included landfills that are no longer in use but have a potential to be rehabilitated and can be afforested with indigenous trees.

According to the report, when Herrera took office, one his first tasks was to have a committee for afforestation projects using trees indigenous to Malta. The committee will come up with a budget and action plan for the new site, as well as find ways of extending wooded areas and preserving local tree species. They also want to have wooded areas available for recreation and increase people's "sense of connectedness" with nature and the environment.

Herrera did not identify the exact location of the site but said it is somewhere toward the center of the island. They are now finalizing the initial step to secure the chosen site.

Moreover, the organization BirdLife International reported that the Maltese government had designated eight marine Special Protection Areas for seabird conservation. The next step would be to create and implement management plans for these area.