Dwejra is a gem which must be protected. It is one of the Maltese Islands' most frequently visited places by tourists to enjoy the panorama, the blue sea, the charming bay in the Inland Sea, the unique Fungus Rock or simply a peaceful walk in the countryside.

Unfortunately the area's popularity has led to its degradation over the years. Damage is being done to the beautiful fossil beds and the endemic flora, while haphazard parking is destroying the typical geology and eroding the natural beauty of the rocks.

Dwejra is also one of the most beautiful diving areas in Europe, attracting thousands of divers each year.

Over the years Dwejra has become an area of high economic activity for various sectors. This growth should definitely be explored further but it has to be sustainable to ensure that we can use this product for many more years to come.

In other words, the area needs a radical action plan, which will include visitor flow management, organised parking, controlled activities, law enforcement and a financial sustainability plan.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA), the Ministry for Gozo, San Lawrenz council and Nature Trust (Malta) have been working and preparing the necessary studies to put all these concepts into practice. Some €314,000 are to be spent on this project, which is also being partly financed by the European Union's LIFE Third Countries scheme.

On May 7 and 8, MEPA organised public consultation meetings on the Dwejra Action Plan, at San Lawrenz Primary School. The NTM project with MEPA and WWF Italia will focus on the restoration of the ecology in Dwejra as per the Life proposal.

The Action Plan prepared by the Steering Committee will address a more holistic approach to other related issues in the area covering transport, stakeholder needs and legal implications.

The meetings showed that many stakeholders agreed that the project was good in principle. It is clear that more consultations are necessary with the authorities with regard to divers' concerns on certain proposals, such as health and safety, parking and mooring issues.

The boathouse owners expressed concern on the conditions imposed by MEPA, the need for sanitary facilities in the boathouses and parking on their land.

The boat operators expressed concerns on the carrying capacity in the area, while hunters and trappers on the other hand commented on the enlarged areas within the site for bird protection.

Following these meetings, MEPA will now be compiling all comments received. These comments will be analysed and amendments to the first draft will be made, in collaboration with the steering committee.

The second draft will then be discussed again with stakeholders.

Nature Trust (Malta) president Vincent Attard said that in his opinion the plan should move on two levels. One level would be the restoration of the public areas, which are of no concern to all, such as the restoration of rubble walls on the main road, control of alien species on the public areas, etc. This can be done in line with the EU LIFE Proposal.

The second level would be the areas of conflict and private land, which includes the holistic approach presented in the action plan. In this case, more consultation must continue until all sides reach an agreement.

Without the agreement of all involved, this entire project cannot be a success. Nature Trust will work hard to bring all sides together.

The only disappointment was that despite the fact that a lot of positive feedback was received on the project, it was not mentioned in the public consultation meetings and it seemed those present who praised certain areas in the project did not speak up at these events.

It is hoped that a compromise will be reached with the major stakeholders, including the boat- house owners, and that a balance is struck between the interests of the parties concerned and the general interest of the public.

One must remember that the whole concept is to conserve and certain regulations and requirements need to be adhered to.

From the discussions we listened to during these meetings it is going to be difficult to convince the persons concerned that, over and above the personal interest, there is the common good.

However, after all, we need to change our mentality and preserve our own natural treasures for future generations.

Despite the disagreements, there were many practical suggestions made and certain points in the action plan need to be revised. As the chairman of the meeting Francis Tabone pointed out, we should try to live in harmony with each other and with the environment.

In the coming weeks the Steering Committee for Dwejra will be meeting again to analyse the situation and plan the way forward.