Richness of Mediterranean flora

It is rather inconsequential whether the Oxford Concise or any other English dictionary for that matter, gives the meaning of garigue/garrigue or not, and if it did, what kind of word association it made (Hugh Arnett, The Sunday Times, October 2).

Nothing changes the fact that garigue is a typical Mediterranean Basin ecosystem encompassing a range of substrates and microclimates. Their diversity is so great that almost every region or country has its own name or names to designate the local forms: garrigue in France, garriga in Italy, xerovuni in Greece, tomillares in Spain, choresh in Israel. It is very simplistic and dismissive to state that the term relates to scrubland, which may or may not be of interest or value.

Researchers recognise the Mediterranean Basin as one of 18 world 'hotspots' where exceptional concentrations of biodiversity occur. This is consistent with the principle that species richness increases with decreasing latitude, such that one finds more species of plants and animals in the Mediterranean than further north. The flora of the Mediterranean is one of the richest in the Old World and includes about 10 per cent of all known plant species on Earth.

The Mediterranean flora comprises more than 30,000 species or sub-species, whereas only about 6,000 species of plants occur in the rest of Europe, an area three to four times greater in size. The main reason for the richness in Mediterranean plant species is the fact that more than half the plant species are endemic, and 80 per cent of all European plant endemics are found in the Mediterranean Basin. The Mediterranean Basin is nearly as rich in endemics as all of tropical Africa, even though the latter is about four times larger.

In invertebrates, as in plants, the Mediterranean area is the richest in Europe and richer than anywhere else in the world, including the tropics, with the exception of insects. As in plants, levels of endemism are high, particularly in insects. A remarkable feature of garigues is their abundance of insects and other invertebrates.

Therefore patronisingly playing down the value of garigue with off-the-cuff comparisons with UK situations is very inappropriate, to say the least. As pointed out, Northern Europe, including UK, has not a fraction of the richness of biodiversity that the Mediterranean has.

Given the comparatively poor flora and fauna in UK, the construction of the golf courses in UK mentioned by Mr Arnett may arguably have enhanced the areas in question, but the same result cannot be expected in a Mediterranean scenario. The construction of golf courses at Ix-Xaghra l-Hamra and Ta' Cenc will mean the destruction of endemic species.

Furthermore, the area proposed for the golf course at Ta' Cenc holds the greatest concentration of nesting Short-toed Larks in the Maltese Islands. The Short-toed Lark is an endangered bird and both the bird and its habitat are given high-level protection under European Union legislation. Breeding Short-toed Larks have disappeared from much of the Maltese Islands and Ta' Cenc is their last significant refuge. To make sure that these two locations are completely and conclusively annihilated, your correspondent is advocating the construction of reverse osmosis plants and wind turbines.

The infrastructure required to make such plants viable would create so much disturbance by way of noise, vibration, alteration of seawater characteristics, artificial lighting, access roads, vehicular movement, and so on, that a place like Ix-Xaghra l-Hamra and Ta' Cenc would become an ecological deserts. The first to go would be the sensitive seabird colonies and the Blue Rock Thrush population at Ta' Cenc, probably the highest concentration in the Maltese Islands.

It is very unfortunate that in 50 years of living in Malta Mr Arnett has not come to appreciate what is truly Mediterranean but finds it necessary to make comparison with his original home. Golf courses on garigue are not a good idea. If we must have golf courses, then upgrade the Marsa golf course and build one out of the Maghtab eyesore.

Incidentally, I have never seen hordes of tourists using the Marsa green. Why would tourists suddenly start queuing up to come to Malta when we replace the garigue with greens?