The Ramblers' Association said Sunday it will appeal a decision by the  Administrative Review Tribunal which decided last week not to annul the concession given by the government to the FKNK hunters' federation over l-Aħrax and Miżieb.

"The association will continue in its efforts to guarantee an unrestricted right of public access for all the inhabitants of the Maltese islands to these territories," it said.  

The government formally handed the woodlands to the FKNK in October 2020. The Ramblers and other NGOs had argued that "the irrelevant and improper considerations used by the Lands Authority to assess and award the concession will result in the public's enjoyment of the countryside found in these sites to be curtailed for large swathes of the year, all to accommodate a minority of FKNK's members."

But the tribunal in its decision held that the public still enjoyed access to those areas on the days and times when hunting was not permitted. The tribunal observed that access remained open and not subject to payment. It also noted that the management of the sites by the federation had been in place in practice for several years.