The Today Public Policy Institute today launched a report titled ‐ The Future of Nature Parks in Malta: Innovation and Management ‐ in which it makes the case for a nature park in the north‐west of Malta and a national management structure to oversee all protected natural areas.

The report highlights that, while acknowledging that considerable progress has been made in the conservation and management of Malta's built cultural heritage, the protection of Malta's natural heritage lags behind.

Speaking during a press conference, the Institute's director general said the spread of building across the countryside is a major environmental concern.

"A public survey carried out in 2015 shows almost unanimous agreement that the countryside needs to be more stringently protected. 97 per cent of the Maltese population support this view with high levels of concern registered across all age groups, regions and socio‐economic grouping," Mr Scicluna said.

The report states that it is incumbent on successive governments to move away from treating the countryside as a cheap resource to be developed, and to understand that it is a valuable resource to be safeguarded through good management, protection and conversation measures.

It highlights the need to protect the remaining countryside to ensure the health and well‐being of people, to prevent further loss of natural heritage and biodiversity, to safeguard the important economic role of the countryside, such as for tourism, as well as to fulfil Malta's legal obligations under both national and European legislation.

Malta has designated 34 terrestrial Natura 2000 site under EU legislation. It has also protected and managed other nature sites under national legislation.

"This discussion paper proposes that an area in the north‐west of Malta should be included in the nature parks system. It also recommends the creation of a national management structure which would oversee all protected natural areas in the Maltese Islands.

"It argues that a holistic management structure is required to provide direction and resources dedicated to protecting Malta's countryside under a regulator ‐ the Malta Environment Authority ‐ and a managing agency ‐ a new entity which has been named Natura Malta.

"Natura Malta would be responsible for overseeing the management of all protected areas in Malta by different site managers, coordinating activities, management plans, financing and marketing of all protected natural sites. It would be responsible for promoting awareness and the enjoyment of protected areas for the benefit of the public," Mr Scicluna said.