The Environment and Resources Authority board meeting minutes (October 9, 2020) regarding the destruction of trees at Dingli reveal that the ERA vice chairman “suggested that such permission ought to be assembled in a holistic process”.
Chair Victor Axiak agreed with such a suggestion but added “that one should only be limited to ERA’s responsibility so far”. And the permit was granted.
Imagine a marine biologist saying that the reclamation of part of the sea does not concern the marine flora and fauna. It only concerns the removal of water!
ERA feels that the Dingli trees are not part of an ecosystem. The impact on other dependent fauna and flora, such as birds and pollinators, and their contribution to control climate change added to the negative impacts on the farming community and the residents are of no concern to the ERA board.
ERA, headed by a university professor, is showing that its vigour and strength are conspicuous by their absence: no consideration to protect biodiversity, not only on behalf of this generation but also on behalf of future generations who have lent us these natural treasures.
ERA has lost its vision, its direction and abdicated its responsibilities, approving the destruction of so many mature protected trees and biodiversity across the islands. During 2019-2020, ERA granted Infrastructure Malta 843 permits for the removal of trees, some of which were centenarians.
On behalf of Moviment Graffitti and other individuals who signed a petition, lawyer Claire Bonello wrote to Axiak asking for a tree protection order for the Dingli trees. Naturally, this was blatantly refused. ERA seems more interested in chopping them down than protecting them. Aaron Farrugia, the minister for the environment, is quoted in the media as saying that he would not allow a handful of environmentalists to obstruct development.
Biodiversity destruction goes on and on, despite political promises and national and international obligations- Alfred Baldacchino
On March 18, the press reported that the appeal by Graffitti was turned down because environmentalists failed to prove they were aggrieved by the uprooting of the trees. This despite a letter being sent to Dingli residents, farmers and to Minister Farrugia, Transport Minister Ian Borg and National Heritage Minister José Herrera requesting their immediate intervention to stop the construction of a planned road on cultivated fields in Dingli.
Furthermore, in October last year, Graffitti activists teamed up with farmers and residents from Dingli to prevent roadworks from starting by standing in front of machinery. As they are also doing presently.
Three ministers seem quite comfortable to ignore what Prime Minister Robert Abela said a few weeks ago that the environment was a priority for the government! Unless, of course, they know he does not mean it.
The Environment Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT), instead of ruminating and taking all this in consideration, announced that it was abstaining from hearing the case because the NGO has no direct interest in the case and could not appeal against the permit.
The electorate was told that Malta Tagħna Lkoll (Malta belongs to everyone). But it does not seem that this is taken seriously by the ERPT, the environment minister and, last but definitely not least, Borg, whose IM heads Malta’s ecosystem destruction, with some help from the €700 million from the EU.
Imagine the environment minister telling the EU that it has no direct interest in Malta’s measures taken to control CO2 emissions with regard to climate change. The EU should not tell us how to protect biodiversity as obliged. It should only forward us millions of euros so that we can spend them without it getting involved in internal matters. Even if these funds go towards increasing biodiversity loss, which Malta is duty-bound to prevent.
Dingli residents initiated a petition last month for those of them who do not agree with the proposed road.
Help from Dingli local council was not forthcoming. They can easily stand upright if they remove their political blinkers to respect the wishes of the residents who voted them into office.
Biodiversity destruction goes on and on, despite the political promises made, the national and international obligations and the demands by stakeholders. The pity is that if the EU did not grant €700 million there would not be so much biodiversity destruction.
When the Dingli trees go down, ERA will go down with them. And the environment minister will be happy because a handful of environmentalists would not have stopped development!