Maltese citizens are seriously worried about the loss of biodiversity due to over-development, lack of birds and trees and air pollution, an EU-wide survey has found.
The survey shows that people across the EU are becoming ever more conscious of their environmental surroundings and are concerned about the decline and extinction of animal and plant species, natural habitats and ecosystems.
Of the Maltese respondents, 85 per cent said they were concerned about Malta's loss of biodiversity and consider it a "big problem".
Although more than half of the respondents did not know what the term "biodiversity" meant, when given more details the overwhelming majority agreed that the island is suffering from quite a number of environmental problems, particularly air pollution and loss of agricultural land.
Asked to state what loss of biodiversity they are witnessing in particular, only 5.5 per cent mentioned over-fishing, which is a major concern in the rest of Europe.
Over a quarter said they are worried about air pollution and water contamination, including seawater, while a fifth said too much agricultural land is being turned into buildings and roads. The survey also shows that the Maltese score the highest - over 85 per cent - among Europeans who feel that the protection of biodiversity is a moral obligation, particularly for the sake of future generations. The Greeks placed second at 84 per cent.
The local part of the survey was carried out by Misco last November and was based on a sample of 500 respondents.
Commenting on the survey results, European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said it is clear that an overwhelming majority of Europeans believe the loss of biological diversity is a serious problem.
"Since the 1970s, the EU has been committed to protecting nature, and we are working hard to realise our target of halting biodiversity loss on our continent by 2010.
"Achieving this target requires everyone across the Union to work together to ensure that our ecosystems are sustainable and healthy. Complacency is not an option," he warned.
The results show that, generally, Europeans see air and water pollution and man-made disasters such as oil spills and industrial accidents as the greatest threats to biodiversity (27 per cent).
This is followed by climate change (19 per cent), the intensification of agriculture, deforestation and overfishing (13 per cent), and the construction of roads, housing or industrial areas (eight per cent).
Only a fifth of Europeans surveyed thought they were affected by the loss of biodiversity, but seven in 10 think it will have an effect on them in the future or on their children.