Nature Trust (Malta) has called for Ta Cenc and Mgarr ix-Xini to be listed as Natura 2000 sites while reiterating its position against the proposed further development of Ta Cenc and other tourism-related developments across the islands.
The NGO has repeatedly requested the unique Gozitan site be protected, being one of the last open wilderness areas in Gozo. A similar call for the area’s protection was formally lodged with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority MEPA and with the European Commission.
The call had been made on the basis that the entire area extending from the Ta Cenc cliffs, and comprising the whole plateau and valleys of Wied Sabbara and Mgarr ix-Xini, should be declared, without delay, as a Natura 2000 site due to the presence on site of habitats and species of community importance that the Maltese government is duty-bound to protect as per the Habitats Directive and national legislation.
An adjacent site along Xlendi cliffs had been proposed by the government but, the NGO said ion a statement, the proposal lacks ecological coherence as it stops abruptly just a short distance from the area in Ta Cenc where the proposed tourist development is being proposed.
The NGO is furthermore adamant that the intentions of the developer for a large tract of land which is as yet undefined in the Environmental Impact Assessment (Zone 7) should be made known and assessed as part of the current process before any decisions are taken.
The NGO also noted that although part the development footprint has been reduced, the undefined zone has increased in size and past echoes of a proposed golf course are still being heard, although not confirmed.
A golf course on the island, according to Nature Trust, would be unsustainable and illogical considering that it would dissect the continuity of a protected area. Allowing villa development closer to Mgarr ix-Xini, together with the inevitable degradation of its environs, can be a dangerous pretext for further future urban sprawl.
The NGO does not deem fit the argument being put forward in the EIA that the villa development will provide funding for the protected area, as funds for the natural areas could be obtained through various EU measures, particularly if the government finally decides to declare Natura 2000 status for Ta Cenc.
Nature Trust pointed pout what it sees as a great contradiction in the fact that while various hotels are being allowed to change their use of land to be transformed into flats, a lot of pressure is being exerted on undeveloped areas to be transformed into more facilities.
This, the NGO says, shows a lack of foresight and sustainability, “Every such case of major developments continues to perpetrate the myth that everything must come against a cost to the environment - no compromises are to be accepted when dealing with our irreplaceable natural heritage.”
Nature Trust (Malta) also welcomed Alternattiva Demokratika’s stand against any development at Ta Cenc and urged other political parties to support the stand. This, Nature Trust said, would demonstrate their true environmental credentials in favour of nature protection and sustainable development.