The Federation for Hunting and Conservation has gone to court in a bid to stop the Lands Authority from signing an agreement with Birdlife Malta over the Għadira and Simar nature reserves. 

The hunting lobby is arguing that the mechanism and procedure involved in the projected concession agreements are identical to those adopted by the Lands Authority when granting management rights over the Aħrax and Miżieb woodlands in October last year. 

On the day when that agreement between FKNK and the authority was signed, Birdlife and a number of other NGOs had filed a judicial protest in an attempt to block the deal, arguing that the concession ran counter to the principles of natural justice and third party rights. 

That judicial protest was followed up by civil proceedings by Birdlife Malta and the other NGOs before the administrative review tribunal, challenging the agreement concerning the two woodland sites.

Those proceedings, along with another lawsuit over the same subject matter filed before the First Hall, Civil Court, were still pending, observed FKNK in its judicial protest filed on Monday.

A preliminary decision by the court of appeal last month held that Birdlife and a number of environmental NGOs had a juridical interest in the dispute, ordering proceedings to continue before the tribunal on the merits.

It was “unjust and nonsensical” for Birdlife to challenge the agreement signed by the Lands Authority with FKNK when it aimed to sign a similar agreement over the Għadira and Simar reserves, said the protesting party, as it called upon the authority not to sign such agreement with Birdlife. 

In a press statement, FKNK further pointed out that the public did not have free access to the Għadira and Simar reserves since those were enclosed areas, unlike the Miżieb and Aħrax woodlands were the public had open access. 

Lawyer Kathleen Calleja Grima signed the judicial protest.