Uffiċċjali mill-Awtorità għall-Ambjent u r-Riżorsi spezzjonaw is-sit wara r-rapport fil-gazzetta u kkonfermaw illi dan iż-żejt kien l-istess li kien ġie mitfugħ fuq l-Irdum tal-Mara ħdejn Għar Ħasan numru kbir ta’ snin ilu. Ma kienx hemm żejt friski li setgħa intefgħa riċentement.

Meta jittieħed in konsiderazzjoni it-tul ta’ żmien li ilu hemm dan iż-żejt u l-pożizzjoni tiegħu max-xifer u l-ġnub tal-irdumijiet, jaf jinħoloq iktar dannu ambjentali kieku kellhom isiru interventi sabiex dan iż-żejt antik jitneħħa.

Għal aktar informazzjoni ikkuntatjana fuq [email protected]

 

ERA has set up a Buonamico Award, to mark World Wildlife Day (celebrated yearly on the 3rd March) in order to honour environmental enthusiasts who have made significant contribution to our knowledge on local biodiversity and environmental resources.

This year, the ERA Board recognised the contribution and knowledge provided by two individuals. HE Marie Louise Coleiro Preca awarded the 2017 award, at the President’s Palace in Attard, to Mr. Hubert Spiteri for his contribution to our knowledge on vascular plants (particularly, orchids) and Mr. Michael Briffa for his contribution to our knowledge on local flora, in particular on fungi, slime moulds and other flora.

This National Award has been named after Giovanni Francesco Buonamico, who was possibly one of the first Maltese botanist, writing the first unpublished Maltese Flora in 1670.

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) requires and relies on data on the local environmental resources, such as biodiversity, but which data may not be readily available. ERA is aware that a considerable amount of useful information and data has been, and is still being produced by persons who though not necessarily having received any formal scientific training, often dedicate much of their time to study one or more aspects of our environmental resources.

Bionotes of these honourees are being included.

For further information you may wish to contact [email protected]

Michael Briffa was born in 17th November 1926 and married to the late Yvonne (nee Debono). He was first attracted to the local flora towards the end of the 1960s, through the influence of three persons: Guido Lanfranco’s radio programmes and his contagious love for flora and his ‘Guide to the Flora of Malta’; the botanist Edwin Lanfranco, who was instrumental in Briffa’s works, especially for solving identification problems; and his late old friend Mario Gauci, who introduced him to many local species of flora. Briffa’s passion led to valuable knowledge to the scientific community on local vascular flora and mycoflora (particularly fungi and slime moulds) – with various new records of species for Malta, new localities for rare species and the rediscovery of species previously considered as possibly extinct.

Amongst his most renowned discoveries is the shrub Sarcopoterium spinosum, typical of the eastern phrygana, found for the first time in 1985; Muscari commutatum, a bulbous flowering plant first reported by him in 1983; and the buttercup Ranunculus parviflorus in 1985. Additional rediscoveries of important species include the Maltese dwarf hawksbeard, Melitella pusilla, first described from Malta in the early 20th century and rediscovered by him in 1983, and is now protected at international level, as well as the dog rose, Rosa canina, and the bugloss, Echium sabulicola, rediscovered after more than a century; the beaked spider orchid Ophrys oxyrrhyncos; and more than 40 other flowering plant species.

He also rediscovered the white-flowered form of the National Plant, the Maltese rock-centaury, Palaeocyanus crassifolius; such form was first included in the description of the species by Stefano Zerapha in 1827 but not found for decades.

In 1980s, he also became interested in fungi (particularly wild mushrooms and toadstools), and later in 1995 in the related slime moulds. More than 300 fungal species were encountered during his studies, with several new records for Malta. Notable fungi include Amanita mushrooms; the polypore Inonotus euphoriae; as well as various species association with oak/pine woodlands as well as rockrose phrygana. As to slime moulds and related species, Briffa compiled an annotated checklist of 71 species in 1997. Amongst the several rare species found are Craterium rubronodum, Physarum echinosporum and Tubifera microsperma, which were never recorded in the Mediterranean Region.

Most of the discoveries by Michael Briffa are included in the official ‘Red Data Book for the Maltese Islands’ issued by the precursor to the Environment & Resources Authority (ERA), and a good number of species are now protected by law, either directly as protected species or through the protection of their habitats through the Natura 2000 network and the related designation of Special Areas of Conservation and Tree Protection Areas by ERA.

Hubert Spiteri was born on 16th February 1945 and married to Mary (nee Xerri). He lives in Naxxar and is a successful businessman who for over three decades, managed his family-run business based in Pietà. But his real passion has always been botanical studies. He is a well-known personality to a closed number of botanical scientists and local experts in fauna and flora. And he should be, since over the past decades his ceaseless rumblings have yielded no less than six new records of wild flowers to our official list of flora. Furthermore he developed culture techniques of growing such plants in his own garden grounds. His investigations and records have been cited both locally and internationally. And yet, he is still a stranger to the local media.

His first ‘discovery’ was that of the stinking sea daffodil, Pancratium foetidum, at Għadira in 1963. This was the first local record of this species; which is considered as of biogeographical importance, being essentially a Maghrebian species extending its range to Malta. It is now a protected flower under local regulations.

Over the period 1969-1979, we can mention at least four other discoveries or re-discoveries made by Huber, though there are others. These include the new record, the orchid Ophrys bombyliflora var. parviflora, and the butterfly orchid, Orchis papilionacea. The latter was reported from Malta, although prior to its discovery by Hubert, was considered doubtful. The species is considered critically endangered with a restricted distribution to the Maltese Islands and is protected.

He also rediscovered a small bluish iris belonging to the Moraea sisyrinchium group, which has not been recorded in our countryside for at least the previous 85 years. The likely reason for this ‘hide and seek’ habit for this iris may be due to the fact that its flower opens up only for about one hour during the daytime, and especially at noontime. Hubert managed to germinate its seeds in a type of compost he developed himself. Subsequently he reintroduced such species to other local places.

In 1976, he came across the elegant narcissus, Narcissus elegans, which has never been reported locally. The species is considered as very rare, and is listed in the Red Data Book and in local regulations as a plant species of national interest whose taking in the wild and exploitation may be subject to management measures. In 1979, Hubert rediscovered the sawfly orchid, Ophrys tenthredinifera, which is a critically endangered protected species, considered possibly extinct prior to this discovery. The plant observed by Hubert differs from the typical form.

Many of these species are now protected through the Flora, Fauna and Natural Habitats Protection Regulations, 2006 (SL 549.44) in the Maltese Islands and included in the official ‘Red Data Book for the Maltese Islands’.

13 March 2017

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has set out the ecological priorities for the management of all land-based Natura 2000 sites; 22 management plans and 8 conservation orders have been prepared, which cover a variety of sites including coastal cliffs in Malta and Gozo, sand dunes such as Ramla, saline marshlands such as il-Ballut ta’ Marsaxlokk, woodland areas like Buskett and other islands, including Filfla and Kemmuna and their surrounding islets.

These policy documents address urgent and important implementation challenges to safeguard the ecological qualities of each area. Site-specific objectives and measures – such as ecological restoration, regulation of certain activities, visitor management and site interpretation, sustainable rural tourism and recreation, public awareness initiatives, patrolling and monitoring – may be found in these policy documents. ERA developed these in consultation with key stakeholders including NGOs, local councils and government entities, whose involvement is essential for the success of all these actions. Each of the individual plans and orders have been tailor made by keeping in mind the local socio-economic context and environmental pressures.

A considerable number of these sites have over the past years already been subject to conservation actions. Following the experience gained and lessons learnt through past and ongoing management actions, ERA and the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change will continue working to improve and strengthen existing actions whilst explore additional avenues for the implementation of the priorities that have been identified.

Natura 2000 is an EU-wide network of nature conservation areas, established to ensure the survival of Europe’s most valuable and threatened terrestrial and marine species and habitats for present and future generations. Malta has 34 terrestrial Natura 2000 sites which together cover over 13% of the total land area of the Maltese Islands.

The press conference was addressed by Minister José Herrera, who described this occasion as an important one and an opportunity to celebrate biodiversity and our rich ecosystems – after six years of studies. The Minister said that today is another milestone that could only be achieved after the demerger that gave rise to the ERA. Through these management plans and conservation orders, we will now be in a position not only to protect our natural heritage, but also to create more green jobs and attact further investment. During his speech, the Minister said that we should now focus on the implementation of these management plans and conservation orders and invited governmental and non-governmental institutions, together with other stakeholders to participate in the implementation of these management plans.

The management plans and conservation orders for these Natura 2000 sites were prepared through a €1.3 million project ‘Management Planning and Implementation of Communication Measures for Terrestrial Natura 2000 Sites in the Maltese Islands’ spearheaded by ERA and co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) under Measure 323 of the Rural Development Programme. This project which was implemented through Adi Associates and Epsilon International involved gathering information, carrying out surveys, defining conservation objectives and identifying management measures for each of the Natura 2000 sites. Through this project, which has won the CIEEM Best Practice Award for Stakeholder Engagement 2016, an awareness campaign and widespread discussions ensured that stakeholders were strongly involved throughout the entire exercise.

Management plans and conservation orders can be downloaded here. For further information contact us on [email protected] or on 2292 3500.

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) is expected to absorb the full €1.6 million in public eligible funds (75% EU 25% MT), which were allocated under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for 2014-2020 for the implementation of the marine monitoring programme.

The results of this project will contribute to effective management and sustainable use of marine resources, for the benefit of the environment and of all marine sectors. Through this project, ERA will also continue working towards achieving Good Environmental Status in marine waters. Due to the magnitude of this initiative, the total cost for the implementation of the monitoring programme is expected to reach approximately €3 million.

Marine waters are facing increasing pressures from human activities and this leads to the deterioration of the marine environment. Concrete data and information from the project will be used to develop better management practices to address these pressures. The project will also assist in the implementation of Malta’s obligations in the marine sector.

Miraine Rizzo, ERA officer and project leader, stated that “ERA is looking forward to implementing this EU funded project since it will shed light on many uncertainties, which are currently limiting our capacity to effectively manage the marine environment.”

The duration of the project is of two years, targeted for completion in March 2019.

For further information, please contact [email protected] or call on +356 2292 3500 Monday to Friday, 8am to 3pm.

 

ERA is putting forward the following clarification with a view to amending the article that appeared on the Times of Malta online, entitled “€100 fines considered as government says black bags are no place for electronic waste”, more specifically with a view to correcting the sentence “Introduced in Malta in 2015, the WEEE directive replaced the eco-contribution on electronic items.”

The WEEE directive 2002/96/EC has been in place in the European Union before Malta joined the EU in 2004. This directive was transposed initially through the Waste Management (electrical and electronic equipment) regulations Legal Notice 63 of 2007, which came into force on 23 March 2007, making this the date from when producers in Malta have been obliged to abide by the requirements of these regulations.

The WEEE directive was recast in 2012, following which new regulations (the Waste management electrical and electronic equipment regulations) were issued as Legal Notice 204 of 2014. The latter regulation came into force on 14 February 2014 and has since been amended by L.N. 232 of 2015.

The putting in place of the new legislation following the recast of the WEEE Directive, the subsequent amendments and the removal of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) from the Eco Contribution Act regime in 2014-2015 were all part of a reform aimed at improving the implementation of the WEEE directive in Malta and bringing Malta closer to achieving its targets in this sector.

In addition, ERA also wishes to clarify that the Authority is the main regulator in the area of waste management including the WEEE sector.

For any further clarification, kindly contact ERA on [email protected]

ERA received report of an oil spill at Il-Bajja tar-Rinella and immediately dispatched its officers to go on site to assess the incident, while bringing this incident to the attention of Transport Malta and the Civil Protection Department, who are the competent authorities coordinating the management of oil spills at sea. The cleanup is currently under way.

Transport Malta informed ERA that the spill consisted of diesel oil.

ERA gave direction for the waste oil gathered from this cleanup operation to be transported by a registered waste carrier to a permitted waste management facility for treatment.

Investigations by ERA officials are currently ongoing to determine whether other sites have also been affected.

With reference to the article which appeared in the Gozo News on 24th December 2016 titled “English Ivy – another non-native plant causing damage to trees at Lunzjata”, the Environment and Resources Authority would like to clarify that the Common Ivy (Hedera helix) is a native species to the Maltese Islands.

This perennial species, in Maltese known as il-liedna, is an evergreen climber, native to most of Europe and Western Asia. In Malta, it is found growing naturally in many different sites, such as at Il-Buskett. It is a climbing or ground creeping woody plant which can grow horizontally as a dense groundcover, or vertically on suitable surfaces as are living trees, rocky outcrops, or masonry structures. It is able to climb to a height of up to 25m, doing so by attaching itself to any surface by means of short aerial roots which cling to the substrate.

The yellowish-green flowers of the Common Ivy flower in October. Being rich in nectar they are an important food source for bees and other insects. The shiny dark green leaves can be of two kinds; those on flowering stems are simple and ovate, whilst those on creeping and climbing stems are usually three-lobed to heart-shaped. The small fruit is a hardened berry which turns to a bluish-black colour in winter when it ripens.

The word ‘helix’ is derived from Ancient Greek and refers to the ability of the plant to twist and turn so as to cling to nearby structures. This plant has been used by man since ancient times; the Romans, for example, used the ivy as part of their celebrations to the god Bacchus, where worshippers are thought to have worn Ivy crowns. Also, in the past, leaf and berry extracts were taken orally to treat coughs and bronchitis.

Wasteserve, as the operator, and the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), as the regulator, will be participating in an Interreg Europe project, bearing the name COCOON. The name of the project reflects the change happening during the metamorphosis of waste through the concept of landfill mining. This project aims to improve regional policy on landfill management within the participating regions and countries.

This project has a total budget of €14M with around €176,000 going to the Maltese partners at a co-financing rate of 85%. Its total duration is 60 months and will run until February 2022. I-Cleantech Flanders, a Belgian entity, is the coordinator and brings together 8 partners from the countries of Cyprus, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Malta.

The objective of this project is to develop, integrate and improve relevant policy instruments, while increasing subsidies through operational programmes for landfill management projects, bringing together distinct EU regions to share and capitalise on regional good practices. As a result of landfill management projects, the recovery of resources as well as land recovery is increased while future environmental hazards can be avoided. Moreover, landfill management projects generate economic development opportunities and create new green jobs, all within the context of an EU-wide transition to a resilient, low-carbon, circular economy.

Since the 1950’s, Europe has been disposing significant amounts of waste in landfills. In fact it is estimated that over 450,000 non-sanitary landfills in Europe have limited environmental protection technologies. In light of this, the European Commission has acknowledged that a vision for managing Europe’s landfills is urgently required. Landfills are to be considered as dynamic stocks of resources that can be integrated into the economy, while landfill management supports reclaiming land and avoids astronomic remediation and aftercare costs.

Malta, an island state with limited land available for landfilling, is participating in the COCOON project through two key stake holders in waste management – Wasteserv and ERA, which fall under the remit of the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change. The project’s objectives fit with Wasteserv’s vision – that of creating resources from waste. In fact the company’s educational drive focuses on changing people’s behaviour and have them move away from disposing in landfills and closer to the concepts of reducing, reusing and recycling. This is in line with the waste management hierarchy, which is also the underlying principle of the waste legislation which ERA manages.

 

 

​More than €1,000 was raised by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) for charity, during the Christmas festive season. ERA, with the support of UNITE, the ERA staff sports and social committee, promoted an initiative during which all gifts and hampers received by its employees were donated to the Dar tal-Providenza, Siggiewi. During their annual fund-raising campaign held on the 1st of January 2017, the Dar tal-Providenza used all the gifts and hampers donated by ERA to organise various raffles to raise these funds.

A further €1,000 was raised during the ERA staff Christmas activity. These were donated to L-Istrina.