Pressure works! We're very happy to note that following our intervention, plans for a regional health centre in Buġibba will be modified to save the 10 #Ficus trees on site that host some 800 #WhiteWagtails roosting every evening. timesofmalta.com/articles/vi…

The cliffs of Ħal Far are under threat of yet another pressure as the @pa_malta (PA) initiated a partial review of the 2006 South Malta Local Plan (as amended in 2017) specifically for Ħal Far. As explained earlier this week through a joint ENGO press release, this is nothing short of a deceptive exercise to green light the development of an airstrip for model airplanes on the very edge of the cliffs designated as a Special Protected Area and a Site of Community Importance. The secret agreement reached in February 2022 to build a mini-airstrip for model airplanes in Birżebbuġa’s #WiedŻnuber had led to a public outcry calling for the whole valley to be designated as an #ODZ. Whilst we have submitted our feedback as part of a public consultation exercise whose deadline is today, we are calling on the PA and the Environment & Resources Authority (ERA) to act as guardians of the Natura 2000 sites and to declare this part of Ħal Far as an official buffer zone to secure the vulnerable ecosystems of Wied Żnuber. The area should remain free from any type of development and be restored to ensure that the #Natura2000 site, its habitats, flora and fauna, including nesting shearwaters, reach a Favourable Conservation Status. Read our comments here 👉 bit.ly/3GQcDZm. 📷@MovGraffitti, Paulo Lago