Garigue down the drain

Abstract

A number of disparate but commendable initiatives have been embarked upon by different local entities to commemorate 2010 as the UN’s International Year for Biodiversity. These include talks to scout members and the general public by staff from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority as well as a tourism and biodiversity fair organised by the Malta Tourism Authority to coincide with World Tourism Day, which will be held in two weeks’ time at the Natural History Museum. These are laudable initiatives but they pale into insignificance in the face of the ongoing scourge of biodiversity being perpetuated all over Malta, away from the headlines. Take the much-maligned garigue habitat during the dry season – the perception of barrenness at this time of year might be a reason why it is subjected to such an onslaught.