Birdlife Malta’s request to obtain the locations of the islands’ 8,000 trapping sites will soon be decided, with the final verdict now awaited after a four-year freedom-of-information battle with the authorities.
But the NGO says it will exhaust all its options before giving up – even turning to the European Union if necessary.
The organisation says it has no interest in the names of those who use the sites but is only after the environmental data that would enable it to aid enforcement efforts.
The database that the NGO is after has been made available to the police, the Environment and Resources Authority and the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU).
Following requests for the data to the Environment Ministry, the WBRU, and the police, which were all turned down, the NGO filed a Freedom of Information request.
After this too was refused, Birdlife lodged a complaint to the Environment Ministry and when no response was given within the stipulated 10-day period, the NGO referred the matter to the Data Protection Commissioner who decided the information should not be handed over.
Around 44 per cent of the sites we reported were not registered in the system
The matter will now be decided by the Information and Data Protection Appeals Tribunal with a verdict expected in April.
Speaking to The Sunday Times of Malta, Birdlife conservation manager Nicholas Barbara said they would not give up trying to get hold of the information.
“We are not interested in personal data. There are fields in the database that pertain to the environmental data and others to the very basic information of those applying for permission for the data.
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“We just want the GPS location, maybe the photo of the location and what the trapping site is authorised for, that’s all,” Mr Barbara said.
“What we expect is that this information is shared after the data that is personal is taken out. We have yet to understand the reluctance to share this information and we do not think that the process of dividing the data is as laborious as the Data Protection Commissioner made it out to be.”
On why they require the data, Mr Barbara said that not only would this allow the NGO, and everyone else, to be able to report any cases of abuse to the authorities but it would also serve as proof that the number of registered sites adheres to EU directives on the matter.
READ: ECJ scepticism about Malta's bird trapping stance
What would Birdlife do if the tribunal decision went against it? Mr Barbara said they would be prepared to take the case up to EU level.
“Over the years we’ve asked ourselves this question: why is the WBRU so reluctant to share this information? We have received information that suggests that possibly, a lot of concessions have been made but we cannot know without the actual data.
“What we know for sure is that over the years we have been surveying from the air different trapping sites and around 44 per cent of the sites we reported were not registered in the system.”