Disgust does not even begin to describe the thoughts that passed through my mind when I got to know of the wanton destruction of the Foresta 2000 project. The cowards who committed this pinnacle of vandalism must have been on a vengeful high at the time. But vengeful against what, one might ask?

Against the voluntary NGOs who painstakingly put in so much time and energy to plant a new forest on a Maltese hillside? Against the school children and sundry visitors who dedicated some hours to help out in the making of a green haven? Against those who worked to leave a natural haven for flora and fauna, particularly birds, to our descendents? Against those who are campaigning for more accessible countryside, more natural reserves, less RTOs and less insensitive development?

Perhaps the vandal chieftain behind this latest eco crime was thinking more on the lines of actually achieving something from all this, like, for example, taking the wind out of the sails of the efforts to have new tracts of land with a natural environment which are protected by law against eco-unfriendly activities.

He might have also wanted to discourage those groups and individuals who work in the hope that the Maltese in general will get to appreciate that our natural environment is ultimately there for the general good and that it is not just undeveloped land.

Or maybe he wanted to send a clear, dark message of the type “Whatever you do, it will not work!” to convince us that it is useless to try and apply policies which protect the natural environment in Malta.

Whatever the reason, I sincerely hope that a renewed effort is made by all authorities and policy-makers to bolster the efforts of environmental NGOs and prosecute the perpetrators. This should serve to consign this awful deed to history as a low point and not one of a series of such crimes.

Saviour Ellul

Naxxar