Members of BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Helwa and Nature Trust complained that extensive stretches of vegetation were indiscriminately removed last week without any concern for wildlife or the overall natural importance of this unique habitat.

The NGOs would like to thank the numerous members of the public who phoned to complain about the destruction taking place and also the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment for acting immediately on the NGO’s reports and stopping the work.

The NGOs hope that the necessary steps will now be taken to investigate, take legal action and remedy this situation and calls on the government to manage Buskett as a nature reserve and not as a public garden.

This is not the first time that such ‘weed clearing’, as it is conveniently referred to, has caused extensive damage to natural areas.

Some months ago the same exercise was carried out on the valley floor of Wied il-Luq, fuelling nature lovers’ ire at the ‘landscaping’ work. The clearing of the vegetation has resulted in the loss of species such as the protected Lentisk and Holm Oak as well as the destruction of a habitat used by a variety of insects and several species of birds, including the Sardinian Warbler and Cetti’s Warbler.

At least five nests are believed to have been destroyed in one of the latest cutting sprees. At the moment these birds would have been rearing their second brood.

This area is one of five International Important Bird Areas in Malta and was designated last year as a Special Area of Conservation (and Candidate Natura 2000 site) which means that it should be enjoying its legal protection status as a whole habitat.

The NGOs hope that a Management Plan, as stipulated by law, will soon be underway as trampling, illegal dumping and general abandonment are taking their toll on the place. Rubble walls should only be constructed using traditional techniques and only in areas where they existed in the first place.