For 60 years, the national trust for Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, has built up a reputation as the defender of the island’s heritage but that word ‘heritage’ covers far more than you might think.

The official mission statement of Din l-Art Ħelwa is: “To safeguard Malta’s cultural heritage and the natural environment for future generations, which includes the hands-on conservation and restoration of our built and natural heritage.”

Over the decades, this has meant helping with the restoration of dozens of sites, monuments, statues, paintings and more, preserving them for generations to come. But it also took over responsibility for over a score of towers, churches, fortifications and even cemeteries, not only keeping them well maintained but also relying on an army of volunteers – some 150 at last count – to open them up to the public, with frequency reflecting demand by visitors as well as by the remote location of some of them!

Some are open several times a week; some only on the first Sunday of the month; some are open by appointment; many host a variety of events, from firing cannons off their roof to musical concerts and re-enactments of medieval life.

It is staggering to think that without this dedicated team of volunteers, who rely on fundraising, donations and sponsorships, so much heritage would be lost, abandoned and decaying over the decades. And the fact that the majority are open to the public on a regular basis is another positive resulting from their hard work. Many sites are Instagram stars, with drone videos adding to their social media footprint.

But that is not all that Din l-Art Ħelwa does. In line with its mission, it lobbies for Malta’s cultural heritage and the natural environment. What does this mean in practice?

Founder Maurice Caruana Curran

It has, over the years, taken numerous positions against proposed developments – not always very popular with the people proposing the development. However, with construction now one of the main headaches for people living in busy towns, it has been successful in raising awareness of the consequences of allowing traditional streetscapes to be destroyed, of respecting the buffer zone around Neolithic temples and even the dangers of changing height limitations.

The island is very densely populated and its natural environment is best known for its stunning coastline, harsh garigue and windswept cliffs.

The word ‘heritage’ covers far more than you might think- Vanessa Macdonald

However, its location in the middle of the Mediterranean has made it, across myriad civilisations, the hub of all activity in the area, whether north to south or east to west. As a result, it hosts millennia of history and has an impressive nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites within its small footprint.

It is to protect the past and to safeguard the future that the non-profit has a sub-committee that scrutinises planning applications. It objects to hundreds of the 9,000 applications every year, sometimes pursuing cases all the way to the courts, winning landmark cases on planning policies.

All this marks a great change from when it was founded in 1965, 60 years ago this year. Its founder, Maurice Caruana Curran, had become a judge in 1963 and, just two years later, at the age of 46, he got together with like-minded people who loved history, art and culture.

Din l-Art Ħelwa was set up by them to highlight the importance of Malta’s heritage, well before tourism became the economic force it is today. Even then, Din l-Art Ħelwa was fighting against misuse of land, the need to safeguard traditional architecture, overdevelopment and speculation.

What would he think of the situation today, with a population of over 560,000, over 100,000 of whom are foreigners working here, and with tourism of over three million a year? And of the fact that what the non-profit stood for then remains as relevant now as it did all those decades ago? All that has really changed is that the letter-writing to the authorities has changed to emails. The principles remain the same.

The name of the non-profit organisation, Din l-Art Ħelwa, is derived from the first three words of the national anthem and more or less means “this pleasant land”. As it celebrates its anniversary this year, it is vital for the national trust to make sure that this phrase remains true for generations to come.

Vanessa Macdonald is a council member of Din l-Art Ħelwa.