Urgent - Malta (1 Viewer)

[A CHAPLIN]

Dear Friends and Members,

I am putting this rather long email on the Forum as I need all the help and signatures we can get not only to stop the hunting in Malta but also to protect vitally important areas of natural beauty (and bird habitat).

Please, I hope many of you will send a copy of the email enclosed in the body of the text, or one of your own and please ask anyone else you may know who can help.

As you know the EU Delegation visited Malta recently and actually granted them a concession on the hunting issue. It is not good enough we want it stopped.

Dear Birders:

Please email the sample letter below to European Commissioner for the
Environment Dr. Stavoras Dimas. Please feel free to compose one of your own
or just copy and paste and email
TO: [email protected]
and
CC:[email protected],[email protected]

Time of the essence! IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THESE E-MAILS REACH Dr. DIMAS
EARLIER THIS WEEK! Since Dr. Arnold Cassola Secretary General of the EU
Green party is holding a specific meeting with Dr. Dimas concerning Ta'
Cenc.

----------------copy and paste from here--------------
Subject: Ta'Cenc Special Protected Area Status?
TO: [email protected]
CC:[email protected],[email protected]

Dear Dr. Stavoras Dimas,

The Ta’Cenc cliff area of Malta is an important bird habitat site for
various species such as the scarce Spectacled Warbler, the Corn Bunting, and
the Blue Rock Thrush and has one of the most impressive colonies of Cory’s
Shearwater in the Maltese islands and the Mediterranean and 150 pairs of
Yelkouan Shearwater, both protected species under the EU's Birds Directive.
There is a small colony of the otherwise elusive Storm Petrel.

It is also a breeding site for the Peregrine Falcon (The famous Malta’s
namesake the Maltese Falcon), barn owl and common kestrel. This unique cliff
area is an important bird habitat for the whole region of the Mediterranean.

Ta' Cenc is also of archaeological, ecological, historical, geological, and
geomorphologic importance. This site not only includes the l-Imramma
Neolithic Temple, the pre-historic cart ruts, but also is world famous for
its spectacular cliffs that are the natural home of several wildlife species
both flora and fauna.

Ta’ Cenc offers interesting biodiversity garigue and rupestral habitats with
several rare and endemic species such as the Maltese rock Centaury (Widnet
il-Bahar, Malta's national plant).

I would like to ask for your intervention so that the Maltese Government in
particular the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) to finally
take a clear cut decision to appreciate the Ta' Cenc as an area of
outstanding natural beauty, ecological value and archaeological importance.

This site must be included as a Special Protected Area Status, forming part
of the Natura 2000 networks and not let this area be developed with hotels,
golf courses and residential villas for the wealthy few and excludes the
hundreds of thousands of local population and birders alike.

If any further development were allowed this would destroy the biodiversity
of the site and would be lost forever to our EU citizens enjoyment and the
world.

Photo:-The impressive cliffs at Ta' Cenc.
http://timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=183780&hilite=cliffs

Thank you for your attention,


Yours truly,


Sign your name and address.

---------------------------to here-----------------------


MALTESE GOVERNMENT EXCLUDES TA' CENC FROM PROTECTED DESIGNATED AREAS LIST

The Maltese Government has not included in its lists to the European Union
the Ta' Cenc site as a special protected area designated under the "Wild
Birds Directive" and the "Habitats Directive". This has been confirmed by EU
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas in his letter to Alternattiva
Demokratika (AD) Spokesperson for Gozo, Mr. Victor Galea.

The AD Gozo Regional Committee wrote directly to the EU Environmental
Policies and Priorities Commissioner Stavros Dimas earlier this year in
order to request the Maltese Government in particular the MEPA in explaining
to the general public their decision in not bestowing the ecological,
historical, geological, archaeological and geomorphologic importance of Ta'
Cenc with Special Protected Area Status, thereby excluding the latter from
forming part of the Natura 2000 networks, when all reports conducted on this
area by independent bodies such as the University of Malta and other
universities in the EU and worldwide have suggested otherwise.

Mr. Galea said: "It is absolutely unacceptable that the Ta' Cenc site, home
to various birds, endemic species and historical remains, has not been
included in the list. Ta' Cenc is a place of unique importance, not only
because of its special bio-diversity but also because the natural beauty of
the place -with its unique diversity- is a source of attraction for Maltese
and foreign tourists and thus a source of much needed income for the Maltese
economy".

In his comments Prof. Arnold Cassola, AD Spokesperson on EU affairs and
Secretary General of the European Green Party, said: "The behaviour of the
Maltese government is irresponsible. The message sent out is that the
Maltese government does not care about safeguarding Gozo's unique heritage.
I shall try to raise the issue of Ta' Cenc directly with Commissioner Dimas,
who has promised that should the Commission services identify the need to
designate further sites in the Maltese archipelago, the Commission will
raise the issue with the Maltese authorities".
-----------------------------------
Call for Ta' Cenc to be protected

http://timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=183780&hilite=cliffs

Photo:-The impressive cliffs at Ta' Cenc.

BirdLife Malta is seriously concerned at what is says is the increasing
threat of new and extensive development at Ta' Cenc in Gozo and has appealed
to the authorities to give urgent protection to this ecologically important
site.

The environmental organisation said the proposed developments include
extensions of a hotel, residential areas as well as a golf course.

It described Ta' Cenc as an area of outstanding natural beauty, ecological
value and archaeological importance, saying it would be a major loss for the
Maltese if any further development were allowed because this would
impoverish the biodiversity of the site.

The cliffs boast the highest sheer drop of any cliffs on the islands,
reaching an altitude of 135 metres above sea level.

According to EU criteria, Ta' Cenc figures as one of 12 important bird areas
that should be afforded special protection. It has a large breeding colony
of Cory's Shearwaters, numbering about 1,000 pairs, and over 150 pairs of
Yelkouan Shearwater, both protected species under the EU's Birds Directive.

The cliffs hold a small colony of Storm Petrels and eight to 10 breeding
pairs of Malta's national bird, the Blue Rock Thrush (Merill). It is also a
breeding site for Peregrine Falcon, barn owl and common kestrel.

Furthermore, it holds a unique flora with several endemic plants that
include the Maltese rock centaury (Widnet il-Bahar), Malta's national plant.

The garigue habitat is also important, both from a botanical aspect as well
as for its avifauna, being one of the remaining breeding areas for
Short-toed Lark, Spectacled Warbler and Corn Bunting, among other species.
The garigue is frequented by numerous species of migratory and wintering
birds.

Only a small part of Ta' Cenc is a protected area where no hunting or
trapping is allowed, BirdLife said. The whole area including the cliffs and
the surrounding garigue areas should be protected as a national nature
reserve due to its outstanding ecological value.

 

[Stewart J.]

Signed and sent Ann by all at this household, forwarded to friends. Thanks for bringing to all our attentions.

Stewart

:clap:

 

[A CHAPLIN]

Hi Stewart,

Thank you and thank everyone who else signed please. Let's show them and hopefully something will be done.

Have you seen David's thread about Greenland - shows we can make a difference if we try. Just wish we could get it on the news as headlines PEOPLE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.


Thank you from the bottom of my heart, it is good to know there are birders out there who care.

Ann

 

[Edward woodwood]

cheers Ann

anger can be power

Tim

 

[David]

Ta'Cenc Special Protected Area Status

Hi Stewart,

Thank you and thank everyone who else signed please. Let's show them and hopefully something will be done.

Have you seen David's thread about Greenland - shows we can make a difference if we try. Just wish we could get it on the news as headlines PEOPLE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.


Thank you from the bottom of my heart, it is good to know there are birders out there who care.

Ann

Just for the record. A mail with 808 signatures (current number of Proact Team members - why not join?) was sent yesterday to Stavros Dimas.

Thanks to Ann for mobilising the extra support.

On a parallel matter- The Greenland press has covered the campaign:

Skuffelse over fuglebekendtgørelse

..... Men en storm af email-protester fra udlandet har fået landsstyret til at fastslå at de ikke vil lempe på fuglebekendtgørelsen.

Even I can make a little sense of that!

....and here is a local reaction to one of our email protesters:

From: "Jens ....."
To: ......
Sent: Sunday, May 08, 2005 9:55 AM
Subject: Svar: spring seabird hunt

you dont have any idea about what you writing about, you just doet
becaurse , you have get some ideas, but not very now about, what you
are doing

To put things in perspective:

It’s a complicated story; but a familiar one. In a nutshell: The indigenous Inuit, having adapted to a modern way of life, nevertheless want to retain their traditional hunting customs. The problem is that they now use 800 hp speedboats instead of kayaks; rifles and scopes with explosive ammo instead of harpoons; and sno-cats in place of dog sleds (the dogs are now mostly fed on imported canned dog food and 10,000 tonnes of walrus carcasses are left to rot annually. That’s part of the story. In addition the Danish govt is very wary of getting involved as the ex-colonial power ....

For the rest see:

Farewell to Greenland's Wildlife

And buy the book – I have, it’s well-researched and convincing.

 

[Bubbs]

SIGNED.

John

 

[maersk]

i think the same problems with hunting are going on in cyprus too (pickled songbirds seem to be some kind of grotesque delicacy there) yet ive heard nothing from the EU about that.

 

[christineredgate]

Ann, many thanks for bringing this to our attention.

 

[s.g.]

Done with pleasure

S. G.

 

[geoff hurley]

Done, with a bit of luck we should get thousands of e-mails sent

regards geoff

 

[pauco]

On its way Ann, thanks for the work you put in on this.

 

[David]

i think the same problems with hunting are going on in cyprus too (pickled songbirds seem to be some kind of grotesque delicacy there) yet ive heard nothing from the EU about that.

I'll hopefully update on this soon. I'm visiting Cyprus next month and I hope we can set up some direct action with German and Italian conservationists next year.

 

[fbeeldens]

Done.

 

[David]

Belgian bird society to ask MEPs to ban spring hunting

Source: Times of Malta*

Jan Rodts holding a dead bee-eater and a golden oriole (see pic below), which are protected by law but which are still illegally shot.

The Belgian Bird Protection Society is shortly expected to present a petition signed by over 160,000 people asking the European Parliament to insist that the derogation Malta enjoys on hunting in spring be lifted.

Speaking to The Times, Jan Rodts, one of the two chairmen of the society, said the derogation was not being respected by hunters and trappers and therefore "should be lifted immediately".

Under EU law, hunting in spring is normally prohibited to protect birds during migration. However, with the derogation negotiated by Malta during accession talks, Maltese hunters are allowed to continue hunting for turtledoves and quail in spring.

Mr Rodts was in Malta to give interviews to a group of Dutch journalists who are producing a documentary about Malta which will be used in the campaign.

"The Belgian bird protection group has been involved in the Maltese situation for the past 30 years. We have, in the past, supplied stickers against robin trapping and educational material that was used in schools as we believed education was important.

"But 30 years later we realised that some of the children we tried to educate became hunters as the number of hunters has actually increased since then. So it is time for some harder action," he said.

"We know most Maltese people are against hunting and trapping so we will not take any action that could harm Malta. On the contrary, we want hunting and trapping to be stopped so that bird watching tours to Malta would become possible.

"Thousands of European birdwatchers are waiting for better times in Malta to enjoy the spectacle of bird migration in spring and autumn. You can't bring people to watch birds in Malta at the moment, with hunters and trappers threatening you wherever you go. If there were no hunting, hotels and restaurants could benefit in the shoulder months, when tourism is still picking up before the summer," Mr Rodts said.

In the few days Mr Rodts spent in Malta, he could see hunters shooting at protected species in several places.

"I knew that the hunting situation in Malta was bad, but to be honest, I did not think it was as bad as I used to hear. You have to be in the countryside at six in the morning to see how bad the situation is. Nothing is spared.

"From what I have seen, there are hardly any hunters who respect the law.
You don't even see gulls in harbours and hardly see any around the coast.
Harbours in Europe are full of gulls. I have no doubt that hunting is the main reason for this," Mr Rodts said.

"I was close to Mizieb, which I understand is in the hands of one of the hunters' organisations. I saw a flock of 21 bee-eaters which were gunned down. If hunters have no restraint in areas they control, how can individual hunters, out of sight in faraway places, be expected to respect the law," Mr Rodts said.

Mr Rodts said at least 40 highly threatened species, which are protected under Annex I of the EU Birds Directive on the conservation of wild birds, such as birds of prey, owls, herons, nightjars, larks and pipits, were regularly shot in Malta, even though they are protected by law.

Mr Rodts said he wondered how the head of the EU monitoring mission on hunting, Nicholas Henley, said that the situation was not as bad as it was reported in the Maltese press.

"The EU mission announced when it would be visiting Malta. It should have sent a team here incognito for two weeks to see what really happens. There is a big density of hunters. Birds really have no chance here. We receive e-mails and letters regularly from Belgians who come to Malta asking us to do something about it.

"The former Flemish Minister for the Environment, Historic Buildings Bureau and Landscapes, Johan Sauwens, a Christian Democrat, was in Malta and went around with a mountain bike a few years ago. He came back and urged us to do something about the hunting and trapping situation as he was appalled by what he saw.

"The current Flemish Environment Minister, Kris Peeters, also a Christian Democrat, is concerned about the hunting situation in Malta and wants to do something," Mr Rodts said.

"Local councils in Belgium pay people who have nests of house martins on the façades of their houses because the species has become rare. Here they are shot for target practice.

"We are prepared to stick our necks out. Enough is enough. We understand it can be difficult for some local organisations to take such a stand, but we are willing to take it. And we are not alone in this as there are other big ornithological societies backing us such as the Swedish, German and Greek Ornithological Societies," Mr Rodts said.

"Apart from hunting, during my walking tours I could see a lot of rubbish.
You could see anything from small plastic bags to washing machines.

"I am beginning to think that the island is nothing more than a big dust-bin... without nature and without birds. The fact that one does not see gulls in Maltese harbours, for instance, shows how bad the hunting situation is," Mr Rodts repeated.

Anyone wishing to find out more about the Belgian Bird Protection Society can send an e-mail here

See the original Times of Malta leading article

 

[Gill Osborne]

Many thanks Ann for bringing this to our attention...both Neil and I have signed.

GILL

 

[Dimitris]

Sent,hope it's not too late

 

[A CHAPLIN]

Thanks Dimitris,

It is never too late (I hope). If enough of us write in protest the EU will at least know about this site and who knows may investigate again (and I am the pessimist in the group).

We cannot stop trying to save the birds and the wild places, they should be there for everyone to enjoy.

Ann

 

[GreatHornedOwl]

This concerned Belgian citizen here just sent an e-mail too, hope it helps.

... Damn, why the heck do they shoot Orioles and Bee-eaters ?

 

[A CHAPLIN]

Urgent Malta

This concerned Belgian citizen here just sent an e-mail too, hope it helps.

... Damn, why the heck do they shoot Orioles and Bee-eaters ?

Thank you Great Horned Owl, exactly why shoot them? Do they eat everything that flies or do they just leave them to rot, that's what I would like to know.

Ann

 

[David]

Thank you Great Horned Owl, exactly why shoot them? Do they eat everything that flies or do they just leave them to rot, that's what I would like to know.
Ann

They stuff them as trophies Ann.

Protected species are shot by hunters to display in collections of stuffed birds. This includes birds of prey, such as the globally threatened lesser kestrel, flamingos and herons. In 2003 an amnesty was granted by the government for illegally shot stuffed birds. Nearly 270,000 birds were registered even though only 2,589 hunters submitted their lists.

From the informative

RSPB fact sheet on hunting in Malta.​

David