The archaeological plateau surrounding the Santa Verna Temple in Xagħra, Gozo - home to one of Malta's earliest and most significant prehistoric sites - is under immediate threat from development, prompting urgent calls for its protection.
In a statement issued by MALTA-ARCH - a group of citizens who are concerned about the future of Malta's natural, cultural, and archaeological heritage, MALTA-ARCH co-founder Dr Dawn Adrienne Saliba explained the situation at the Santa Verna Temple, part of the same interconnected prehistoric landscape as the Ġgantija Temples and Xagħra Circle, dating back to around 5400-2400 BC and forms part of a rare Neolithic landscape.
She said that archaeologists believe the area once hosted farms and homesteads belonging to the builders of Ġgantija.
Excavations and research projects, including the €2.5 million FRAGSUS study, have shown the plateau holds deeply preserved soils containing bones, pottery, and other artefacts.
Yet, Saliba said that this unique heritage site is being scarred by development.
She said that two roads, at least 18 houses, and swimming pools have been approved by the Planning Authority, with one new road cutting through the temple's legally protected buffer zone.
In Ta' Lablab, just five minutes from Santa Verna, a burial pit containing the remains of seven Neolithic children was partially bulldozed before a local resident reported bones scattered across the site, the statement said.
Nearby caves were also approved for demolition in exchange for a €5,000 "Heritage Gain" settlement, she said.
Campaigners, including MALTA-ARCH, NGOs like Flimkien ghal-Ambjent Ahjar (FAA), the Xagħra Local Council, and concerned residents, are warning that these developments are causing irreversible damage to both cultural heritage and natural habitats.
It said that the plateau is home to hedgehogs, chameleons, endemic Maltese wall lizards, bats, and threatened bird species.
FRAGSUS leader and UK Archaeologist and specialist in the Maltese Neolithic, Caroline Malone, described the situation as a "destructive landgrab" that risks erasing irreplaceable prehistoric evidence.
Concerns have also been raised over the role of archaeological monitors after allegations that human remains were ignored or underreported during excavations in 2023, she said.
In response, campaigners have also submitted a parliamentary petition demanding an immediate Emergency Conservation Order halting development on the plateau, the formal expansion of the Santa Verna archaeological buffer zone, independent archaeological monitoring separate from developers, protection of caves and other prehistoric features, and a full detailed, easily accessible study of the area and recovery of displaced artefacts and soil.
To raise awareness, MALTA-ARCH is organising a Santa Verna Archaeology Awareness Walk and Talk on Saturday, 23 August at 5pm, starting at the viewpoint near Xagħra Cemetery.
The event will feature speeches by ADPD's Sandra Gauci, independent politician Arnold Cassola, and Nationalist Party candidate Luke Said, followed by a guided walk led by Saliba.
MALTA-ARCH urged the public to attend the event, sign the petition, and pressure authorities, including the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the Minister for Culture, and the Prime Minister, to fulfil their legal and moral duty to safeguard Malta's prehistoric and ecological heritage.
Petition can be signed here: https://parlament.mt/en/petition?id=292
