Church condemns illegal hunting
by Ariadne Massa
The Church Environment Commission has urged hunters and trappers to realise that illegal practices are unsustainable and
harm their own pastime.
Admitting that, in the past, the Church had barely spoken out about this hot issue, the commission was clear and unequivocal
in its stand - illegal hunting had to stop.
"Hunters' organisations, which promoted this pastime, have to realise that hunting and trapping protected species,
the illegal sale of carcasses of rare birds, and the disrespect towards the laws that regulate this practice are harming their
passion... and drawing the criticism of numerous citizens," commission chairman Victor Axiaq said.
The commission remarked that there could have been isolated cases where Church representatives may have spoken or acted
unwisely on this matter, further stoking the fire, instead of instilling reason.
The commission urged hunters and trappers not only to abide by the regulations, but to practise their pastime in an ethical
and sustainable way.
It was a mistake to continue justifying this pastime as though it had remained unchanged over the years, when the folkloristic
and traditional elements had made way for other developments, such as the type of weapons used and hunting at sea.
A clear indication that this pastime had become unsustainable was the ever decreasing number of birds that visited the
island, the commission said.
Its stand on hunting was one of the issues highlighted in the commission's opinion paper dealing with every citizen's
responsibility to safeguard Malta's limited resources.
The paper was launched yesterday to coincide with the Church's Environment Day on Thursday, which is celebrated on the
feast of St Francis of Assisi, the patron of animals and the environment.
Through this paper - which focuses on land, biodiversity and potable water - the commission is seeking to sensitise the
public on the urgent need to do something before it is too late and our quality of life starts to suffer.
Commission vice chairman Paul Pace said environmental issues were no longer matters being promoted by tree-huggers or
hippies.
"If we ignore these problems, our quality of life is going to be negatively impacted," he said.
The commission felt the Church had to be a clear and courageous sign of the times. It was in the best position to seek
the right balance between the three dimensions of sustainable development: The environment, society and the economy.
The commission was also critical of the way Malta's little patch of land was being built up - development had to be sustainable.
It urged people who owned a piece of virgin land not to succumb to the urge to develop it, even though they may have the
permit to do so, in the hope that future generations will inherit some breathing space.
On the latest development on the controversial Ramla l-Hamra project, where the Malta Environment and Planning Authority
board has been advised by its lawyers to revoke the permit, the commission stopped short of commenting.
Prof. Axiaq said the commission's brief was to speak on issues affecting the archdiocese of Malta, and it felt it should
not enter directly in matters affecting the Gozo diocese.
However, he added that its principles on the use of virgin land were clear.
The commission insisted that parish priests and members of religious orders could not afford to be silent observers, but they
had to commit themselves to these environmental responsibilities.
"In the context of an island with limited resources, we need to be responsible citizens," Prof. Axiaq said.
Those interested in reading the opinion paper can get a copy from the Curia by calling 2590 6506, dropping an e-mail to
pastoral.secretariat@maltachurch.org.mt or through www.maltachurch.org.mt.
Opinion paper
Land
Before 1988 there was a considerable and uncontrolled loss of land for development, so the Temporary Provision Scheme
was set up.
Last year, Parliament approved the extensions of development zones with the aim of regularising the anomalies resulting
from the 1988 scheme.
While appreciating the need to address anomalies, the Church commission felt the end result of this exercise would still
lead to further depletion of natural resources.
It also appealed to all those involved in the Outside Development Zone extensions (especially Church members) to put the
common good and national quality of life at the top of their priorities.
Being sustainable through actions was not an automatic reaction, but it required tough choices and difficult ways of tackling
difficult decisions.
Property owners should ensure that their land did not end up in the unscrupulous hands of speculators who would further
the exploitation of land, to the detriment of society and the environment.
Biodiversity
The Maltese have not yet understood and appreciated the importance of biodiversity. Owing to the irresponsible use of
land for construction and other needs, certain local natural habitats, particularly coastal areas, were seriously threatened.
Another hazard to the island's biodiversity was the introduction of species that were "alien" and invaded new
habitats, negatively impacting the authentic biodiversity of the area.
The public should appreciate protected areas and consider them as an investment that safeguarded the island's natural
heritage.
The commission urged authorities to ensure that adequate resources were made available for the proper management of conservation
areas.
Water
A recent study showed that Malta had one of the lowest water reserves within the EU. Furthermore, the quality of a substantial
amount of these water reserves was threatened because of abuse and theft.
Considering the impact climate change may have on the amount of rainfall and, if this issue was not solved in a practical
matter, Malta will lose half its current water reserves in 50 years' time.
As long as water was still available from the tap, very few people realised the dimension of the problem.
The country had to realise it had to start paying a just price for the water it was consuming. Naturally, one would expect
that water quality would be adequate and that the real economic burden of this resource was shouldered in a socially just
and equitable way.
The commission wished that the Church, especially at the level of parishes, clearly showed that water theft was a sin.
It was a shame that this vital resource was being contaminated or lost because of indifference and negligence.
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