The green whistleblower

Abstract

My attention has been drawn to some of the EIA review comments carried in my last column (September 16), namely: "The usual suite of invertebrates, mainly insects and molluscs... no attempt was made to identify these since, in the main, they consisted of ubiquitous species" - one should note that some insect and mollusc species are listed in the Red Data Book for the Maltese Islands in view of their restricted distribution, etc., and some are also consequently protected by virtue of local and/or regional legislation. Also, no exhaustive faunal surveys were conducted on site, with surveyors limiting themselves to "records of Western whipsnake and unidentified geckos". Prima facie, this ecological appraisal appears to be slipshod and incomplete. No description of the impact of the generation of particulate matter on marine filter-feeding organisms is included.