A social media post announcing that over 700 mature trees and around another 50,000 plants and bushes were being planted by Infrastructure Malta despite scorching temperatures sparked outrage among environmentalists, who questioned why such an exercise was taking place during a heat wave.

The planting exercise, part of the projects at the Kirkop Tunnels, the Airport Intersection, and the Luqa Junction, was announced by the agency on its social media page on 18 July, at the start of what would be a long heat wave that would eventually lead to July being registered as the hottest month on record for Malta.

The peak temperature on July 18 was 40°C, and temperatures did not go below that until the end of the month. Apart from commenting about the high temperatures, people also expressed their frustration at the lack of local tree species – at least those that were shown in the promotional post.

The Malta Independent on Sunday contacted a spokesperson from a local eNGO who had also publicized his anger towards this announcement. He said the trees and shrubs were being given minimal chance for sustained life due to being planted in blazing summer conditions.

The spokesperson said that there are only two adequate seasons to plant trees: spring and autumn. In his own words, “summer is not viable. It’s like throwing a cat or a person in a steaming car in a heatwave. It never makes sense.”

When asked about the use of foreign tree species in government-funded projects/initiatives, the eNGO representative stated that it is a “very common practice” and that he is bewildered as to why local species are not given priority.

He stated that Malta has an intrinsically rich biodiversity that should be promoted, yet instead, government officials select to import foreign species at higher costs, running the risk that the importation and planting of alien species could be detrimental.

“We should show importance towards Maltese endemic bushes and trees, not to foreign and invasive species.”

From a financial perspective, importing alien species is far more costly; public funds are being used to pay for the added costs in this process, including the initial purchase of all foreign florae and the transportation costs (besides the expenses required for the floral propagation).

From an environmental point of view, incorporating foreign species of flora can come with destructive effects towards local ecosystems, he said.

When asked to elaborate on the negative implications of floral importation and its frequency, he said: “We are losing economic opportunities for green jobs while promoting major risks of the highest to the environment”.

Alfred Baldacchino – a former assistant director within the Environment Protection Directorate – was also contacted to describe these adverse consequences.

He said that these negative impacts fall under three headings: ecological, economical, and social. While social effects refer to changes in public aesthetic, local biodiversity can be seriously threatened via the other two.

Baldacchino told The Malta Independent on Sunday that “exotic trees may become invasive and compete with local indigenous species”. Ecologically, the gene pool of native species may be polluted with the introduction of some imported breeds.

Negative implications may still arise if the imported florae are not invasive – such flora can bring with them other diseases and pests.

Baldacchino referenced an incident from 2013 when imported palm trees brought with them invasive pests known as the red palm weevil. As these insects entered Maltese ecosystems, they quickly decimated hundreds of palm trees across the Maltese islands, forcing their uprooting across many localities in Malta and Gozo.

In article found on his personal blog, Baldacchino indicated that some people at the time who owned some of these victim palm trees were warned by the Ministry of Rural Affairs and the Environment to uproot their trees within a couple days’ notice. They were also informed that if this request was not met, they would be fined €666.66.

In this blog article, Baldacchino had written that “Imported alien species all carry a hidden cost, no matter what politicians, entrepreneurs or public officials say or think.”

Queries relating to the aforementioned project were sent to Infrastructure Malta on Thursday. No reply was received.