The Malta Independent 14 July 2026, Tuesday
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Post Għalina campaign launches interactive map of Manoel Island

Monday, 29 December 2025, 11:32 Last update: about 8 months ago

The Manoel Island: Post Għalina campaign is publishing an interactive map of Manoel Island's valued features on the campaign website, www.manoelislandcampaign.org. 

Earlier this year, the campaign, led by activists from Moviment Graffitti and Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, successfully petitioned for the renegotiation of a 99-year lease between Government and MIDI to return Manoel Island to the public as a park.

The interactive map of Manoel Island is one outcome of the campaign's workshop series, which invited the public to discuss the values and vision that should underpin the creation of a public park on Manoel Island. The map features tangible and intangible assets present on or tied to Manoel Island, and was compiled through extensive research, consultation with experts, and conversation with residents, with the guidance of seasoned placemakers. It classifies the island's assets into archaeological and built heritage, terrestrial and marine biodiversity, and socially relevant aspects such as collective memories tied to spaces on the island.

The public is being invited to explore the rich story of Manoel Island through this map, uncovering centuries of history, rich ecosystems with native and even endemic plants and animals, and public memory that lives in the middle of Marsamxett Harbour. A short promotional video shot on site features Fort Manoel's main gate and staircase, the Royal Navy Pay Office building which later housed the United Nations' Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), WW2 defences layered over 18th century bastions, and the island's lush winter greenery, including flowering narcissus.

The campaign stresses that any respectful transformation of the space needs to be in line with its assets, preserving and conserving nature and culture to exist in harmony with people's needs for generations to come, the activists said.

 


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