When you live among cultural riches which you can find around every corner of a small island, you tend to become unappreciative and take things for granted.

It is a natural human response, and can be linked to the expression, “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone”. That is exactly what would have happened if Malta had not taken action to safeguard the megalithic temples that dot our landscape. Of course, we are referring to the inauguration of the protective canopies which have been put up over the Mnajdra and Hagar Qim temples. The project was co-funded by the European Union and led by Heritage Malta. When the idea was first introduced, there were murmurs of discontent. But the hard and fast facts are that the temples were deteriorating as a result of erosion, pollution, rain, damp and sea spray. If they had been left as they were – at the mercy of the elements, they would not have been around for much longer and they would not be enjoyed by future generations.

Let us just remember that we are talking about monuments to history and our forebears who defied all logic in constructing the first free-standing buildings some 5,000 years ago. They are not UNESCO world heritage sites for kicks, they are listed as so because they are deemed to be essential to humankind’s collective history.

Heritage Malta recognises this fact and, as put aptly by its chairman Joseph Said, “The megalithic structures are the biggest treasure entrusted to Heritage Malta and Heritage Malta knows that its most important task is to protect them”.

We could not agree more, and the project has not only protected the temples from deterioration, but also features a brand new visitor centre which will allow people to learn more about our collective history.

In other developments, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority has approved similar structures to protect the Tarxien temples. One hopes that the outcome on completion will prove to be as beneficial as what we are witnessing in the limits of Zurrieq.

But while financial commitment, embellishment, preservation and restoration are all imperative in allowing our cultural monuments to survive, we too, as a people, should strive to protect them and enjoy them.

We have seen vandal attacks at such sites on many an occasion. The temples themselves were vandalised, as have been bastions, churches and Portes des Bombes. It is sad. We do not only have to take these as examples, we are steeped in rich culture at every corner in Malta. We have the Three Cities, Mdina, Valletta, Mosta, Zebbug, Siggiewi… the list of our heritage goes on and on. The very stone our feet is on, the stone we have used along the millennia to build places of worship, shelter and other structures which we have not even properly understood yet – such as the cart ruts – is part of our very unique identity.

It is high time that people realised just what a treasure trove we have. More importantly, we fail to even realise the ways in which these monuments enrich our lives on a daily basis. Education is important and it is bearing results. They say that we are trying to preserve our earth for our children, but in reality it will probably be our children who will clean up our mess. We have to act now. Now does not mean tomorrow, next week or next year. It means now. Hagar Qim was a major step forward. Now, we must continue down that road.