BirdLife Malta would like to express its appreciation of the letter entitled Intrinsic part of the Environment (TMID, 17 December), signed by Franco Farrugia. It is indeed heartening for our organisation when members of the public make their voice heard and add their weight to the public debate on the issue of illegal spring hunting and killing of protected species.

However, the organisation needs to clarify that the booklet referred to by Labour MP Joe Abela in his speech in Parliament, and in turn picked up by Mr Farrugia in his letter, was not funded in any way by the European Union, as erroneously claimed by Mr Abela. In fact, this booklet was paid for through funds collected from our thousands of members. This was also clarified in a press release issued by BirdLife Malta on 12 December to correct a number of false statements made about the organisation by Mr Abela.

The only project which sees European Union funding and of which BirdLife is a co-beneficiary is the EU LIFE Yelkouan Shearwater project. This project is Malta’s largest conservation initiative of its kind and is working to protect Yelkouan Shearwaters at their largest breeding site, Rdum tal-Madonna, in the North of Malta as well as improving this protected site for wildlife and visitors. For more information on this project or to book a visit of the site, readers can visit

www.lifeshearwaterproject.org.mt

and for more information on

BirdLife Malta, please visit

www.birdlifemalta.org

Marija Schranz

Communications Coordinator

BirdLife