OAR@UM Collection:https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/89902024-03-28T08:43:46Z2024-03-28T08:43:46ZDevelopment and the natural environment in the Maltese Islandshttps://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/927632022-04-01T15:27:12Z1993-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Development and the natural environment in the Maltese Islands
Abstract: The Republic of Malta is a small Mediterranean island nation
with a limited land area (< 316 km2) and very high population
density (at 1,095 per km2, the highest in Europe). As
might be expected, human pressure on the natural environment
is intense. Development of the Maltese islands commenced
some 7,000 years ago with the arrival of the first colonists who
radically modified the landscape by clearing the native forests
and other natural vegetation for agriculture, construction and
fuel, and by the introduction of grazing animals which
prevented trees from regenerating. Other significant modifications
took place over the period 1530-1798 when the islands
experienced a population explosion, a building boom and
heightened agricultural activity, all connected with the reign
of the Knights of Saint John. Improved medical services and
sanitation after the islands passed into British hands caused
a second population explosion in the early twentieth century
with a concurrent spread of settlements, causing further
modification to the natural landscape. This was mainly caused
by building activity connected both with housing and with
military installations. The population has continued increasing
steadily since.
This contribution describes and analyses the main effects
of development on the natural environment of the Maltese
islands. Three key factors shape the Maltese natural environment:
the geology, the climate and man. In order to understand the effect of man it is therefore necessary to have an understanding
of the other two factors. Accordingly, before discussing
human impact, a brief overview of the physical geography
of the Maltese islands is given.1993-01-01T00:00:00ZAir pollution and its effects on cultural property : a Mediterranean exampleCassar JoAnnhttps://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/899672024-02-08T07:33:51Z1991-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Air pollution and its effects on cultural property : a Mediterranean example
Authors: Cassar JoAnn
Abstract: Air pollution, and especially acid rain, is normally
associated with the industrialised countries of Northern
Europe rather than with Mediterranean region.
Notwithstanding the undeniable fact that in the
north the problems of air pollution and its associated
detrimental effects on cultural property are present, it
is also true that this phenomenon is not limited to
one specific geographic region; in Southern Europe
pollution is also an important cause of the deterioration
of cultural property. Countries which immediately
come to mind include Greece and Italy.
Other areas in the Mediterranean, such as the Balearic
islands, the South of France, Sicily or Malta, are
more often imagined as idyllic places enjoying sunny
weather and clean air rather than polluted air
and smog. However here too the deterioration of
cultural property, and especially that of historic
buildings and archaeological sites, is an ever-present
reality. In the following lecture these problems
will be illustrated with special reference to the Central
Mediterranean and in particular to the island of
Malta; the effects of air-borne pollutants on cultural
property will also be discussed.
Description: Offprint
Source: Weathering and air pollution, Lago di Garda (Portese), Venezia, Milano, 2-9 settembre 1991 : primo corso = first course, Bari : Adda, [1992].1991-01-01T00:00:00ZGavino Gulia f'egħluq il-mitt sena mill-mewt tiegħuhttps://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/768372024-01-15T10:35:59Z1989-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Gavino Gulia f'egħluq il-mitt sena mill-mewt tiegħu
Abstract: It-tabib Gavuni Gulia twieled fil-belt ta' Bormla fit-18 ta' Ġunju 1835. Fl-1880 sar Professur tal-Mediċina u ta' l-Istorja Naturali fl-Università ta' Malta. Dan l-artiklu jagħti bijografija tat-tabib Gulia u jitkellem ukoll fuq ibnu Gavino Gulia.1989-01-01T00:00:00ZEnvironmentalists in Malta : the growing voice of civil societyBoissevain, JeremyGatt, Carolinehttps://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/767002021-06-02T10:28:29Z2000-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Environmentalists in Malta : the growing voice of civil society
Authors: Boissevain, Jeremy; Gatt, Caroline
Abstract: In 1964, civil society in newly independent Malta was relatively mute, cowed for centuries by fear of, and obedience to, various colonial rulers, the powerful Roman Catholic Church and, since independence, a highly centralized government. Within four decades Maltese environmentalists succeeded in giving a strong voice to the islands' 'civil society: a diffuse term that has been defined as 'that segment of society that interacts with the state, influences the state and yet is distinct from the state' (Chazan 1992: 281 in Fisher 199/: 487). This study explores how they accomplished this, looking at new trends, patterns and prospects for the environmental movement in Malta.2000-01-01T00:00:00Z