Nature Trust (Malta) has called on the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to take immediate action to safeguard the freshwater crab and its habitat in Baħrija valley.
The crab has long been a protected species in Malta, yet reports sent by Nature Trust to Mepa clearly show that part of the crab's habitat in the valley has been destroyed under concrete blocks.
Nature Trust environmental educator Annalise Falzon said it is common to see crabs squashed by passing vehicles because there is no underground passage for the crabs to proceed along the natural watercourse.
She said people taking part in guided walks in the valley were utterly dismayed to see the disturbance that was being allowed by new building development on site.
Nature Trust pointed out that the valley is a scheduled protected area and was outside the development zone.
Moreover, the EU's Habitats and the Water Framework Directive granted it with international protection as a Natura 2000 site.
Mepa's reply that permits for developments on the site were approved prior to international legislation coming into force were described by Nature Trust as "weak" and "lacking in forward planning".
Nature Trust Malta executive president Vincent Attard said the authorities were responsible to see to it that the crab and its habitat are protected to the full.
He pointed to the irony that although yesterday was World Environment Day and this year is dedicated to celebrating bio-diversity, wildlife in Malta such as this crab, which is not only an endemic but also an endangered species, was facing such problems.
He added that recently a local scientist had reported that the Selmunett Lizard has become extinct from Malta. The NGO considered such reports as very serious and a big blow to local biodiversity.
It called on the government to keep up its promise to protect the environment and called on Mepa to act. "We cannot afford another loss," Mr Attard said.
The organisation said it was also "very concerned" that the water course where the crab lives is severely drying up, possibly due to over-extraction or because fresh water springs in the area was being re-directed by valley users.
The use of pesticides by farmers are leaving their effect on wildlife.
It said that building development and the unsustainable use of resources in such a sensitive site are a direct threat to ecology.
Nature Trust said it is useless for the authorities to say they are monitoring the situation at the valley when it is visibly clear that degradation is taking place.
It called for immediate action to be taken according to a short-term action plan, while at the same time carrying out a study for a long-term conservation plan of the area.