https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/24300 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 16:36:22 GMT 2026-04-04T16:36:22Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/101547 Title: Enhancing sustainability : a feasibility analysis of green measures in a school Abstract: Schools offer the potential of a strategic approach for the improvement of Malta's sustainability status. By improving waste management, the problem of limited resources and space in Malta is improved, and gas emissions from waste minimised. C02 emissions may be reduced through PV s, energy saving lights working with sensors, and through the inclusion of passive building features. These contribute to increased social comfort. Social well-being is enhanced through committees such as EkoSkola and campaigns, such as the HSBC Catch the Drop campaign. These help in the involvement, and education of students, as well as the environment. Water savings are possible through cistern water displacers (referred to as water hippos), mulching machine and water catchments. These should be accompanied by no-cost solutions, such as raising student awareness. Water catchment is an expensive water saving measure, but it is effective and of high value, and can lead to a free water supply as from the 61st year (this may be acceptable given that schools are commonly used for longer periods). In 6 years, the water catchment potentially provided a return of €13,263. Thus, the catchment lifetime and that of a school favour its implementation. SWHs and intelligent lighting systems are more challenging financially for a school environment than the measures mentioned, depending greatly on the electricity tariffs. These are considered as green measures, even though not necessarily feasible. In the one school analysed more than 90,000 units of electricity were generated in one year, 5,284m3 have been potentially saved in six years from a water catchment, an annual average of 1,152m3 of water consumption has been possibly reduced through the water hippos, and 1,868m3 can be potentially reduced through the use of a mulching machine. The latter is especially cost-feasible because of the school has a large landscaped area. This study is of contribution to the decision-maker considering the measures analysed. The findings can be supported by future studies taking a greater scope and incorporating the role of local schools, and the possibility of extending the use of schools, in recognition of the strategic concept. The school is now generating its energy at a lower rate than the electricity tariff, and is gaining approximately €4,688 from water hippos and the mulching machine (as an estimate). Description: MSC.ENV.MANGT.&SUS. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/101547 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/29634 Title: Assessing the experiences of Sliema residents and environmental non-governmental organizations of public participation processes in development projects in Sliema Abstract: Public participation processes provide an opportunity for stakeholders to voice their interests, concerns, opinions and suggestions, particularly in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). Public participation processes may thus be evaluated in terms of effectiveness in the process whereby two aspects of the process may be gauged, namely, process-based criteria and outcome-based criteria. While the former gauges process effectiveness in terms of the process itself, the latter assesses the outcome success of the process. This study aims to assess the experiences of Sliema residents and those of Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGOs) of public participation processes in EIAs in development projects in Sliema. In so doing, registered voters residents in Sliema were surveyed and local ENGOs were interviewed. The research highlights that the public participation process in Malta is a work in progress and that different aspects of the participatory process are still yet to be developed if the process is to be effective whilst following some of the general principles outlined in the literature relating to best practice participatory processes. This calls for a shift in mentality from viewing such participatory processes as a legal prerequisite to one which advocates the process on the basis of collaborative learning and dispute administration in order to plan and develop sustainably. Description: M.SC.ENV.MANGT.&SUS. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/29634 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/29633 Title: Capstone project : mapping marine alien and newcomer species in the Maltese islands Abstract: Marine invasive species are considered a concern for the EU due to the negative impacts they cause: costing millions by affecting fisheries, recreation, commerce, and human health. Several policies have resulted from this concern, which include setting up an early warning system that can detect alien species as they enter the Union. This work focused on mapping alien and newcomer species already present in the Maltese Islands using GIS methods implemented in ArcMap 10.4. Malta, located in the Sicily Channel, is ideally situated to monitor species coming into the Mediterranean Sea from the east, through the Suez Canal, and from the west, from the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar. Many large vessels come to Malta from all over the world, primarily through cruise ship tourism and cargo transport. Malta, therefore, can act as a central location from where to monitor the introduction of species to the Mediterranean from multiple directions and vectors. GIS techniques were used to determine where these alien species are concentrated. This knowledge is key to informing efforts to monitor for further invasions. I also investigated what species are currently threatening the Marine Protected Areas of Malta. This was done through a detailed examination of the Maltese MPA’s and the invasive species that have been recorded within them. This project therefore serves as a baseline distribution of invasive species in Malta, which environmental managers can use to coordinate monitoring efforts and the mitigation of impacts. Description: M.SC.ENV.MANGT.&SUS. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/29633 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/24301 Title: The role of connectedness to nature & place for participatory protected area management Abstract: This thesis is based on the hypothesis that connectedness to nature and place (attachment) is likely to be a strong influence on how local communities and stakeholders respond to designation and management of protected areas. This study therefore explores relationships between connectedness to nature (CNT), place attachment (PA) and pro-environmental behaviour (EB), using the Maltese Islands as a case study, and focusing in particular on the potential for these constructs to be used for more effective involvement of stakeholders in the management of such sites. The intensities of CNT, PA and pro-environment behavioural intentions, as expressed by a sample of household respondents across the islands, were measured (n=401) in order to establish a national baseline. Results were then analysed and used to examine the relationship between these three constructs using correlation analysis and structural equation modeling. The influence of demographic variables on results was also explored. Results obtained were further mapped, in order to analyse the spatial relationship between respondent home location and proximity to protected areas, and to allow analytical comparisons between these constructs and other environmental and place-related variables. The study identifies promising opportunities for a more systematic understanding of the sub-dimensions of place attachment (Identity, Dependence, Bonding) and connectedness to nature (Self, Perspective, Experience), and how these relate to socio-cultural factors and location. The study results also found positive associations between CNT, PA and EB, and that age and educational achievement were moderate predictors of positive EB. While results support the proposition that PA has a weak positive association with overall positive EB intentions, CNT shows a moderate correlation with EB. Geo-spatial mapping of results indicate that existing protected areas (whether protected for nature, landscapes, or urban qualities) are evidently loci of community attachments with nature and place. Results also suggest that PA and CNT are in fact quite different social and spatial constructs, with clearly diverse, but also common, physical locations of attachment or connectedness. Differences in means intensity between Malta and Gozo were noted for all three constructs. Spatial analysis shows a clear relationship between respondents’ home location, PA, CNT and EB with protected areas in their vicinity however, attachment to place is not only correlated to NATURA 2000 sites but also to protected urban areas. The mapping of these social constructs facilitates overlaying of different data layers, allowing for a combined analysis of the values that members of a community attribute to nature and place. This socio-spatial projection provides a complementary perspective for resource managers, allowing them to take into consideration the public’s values in place-based protected areamanagement. It also builds an argument for socio-spatial analysis of these social constructs not only for the purposes of environmental planning, but also to help people improve connectedness to nature and place for their well-being and their combined effect on pro-environmental behaviour. There thus appears to be merit in recognising not only the professional’s technical input in protected area management, but also the validity of the lay public’s deeper attachments towards place within a socio-spatial planning framework. This study also provides recommendations on how practitioners can leverage these findings to enhance people’s pro-environmental behaviour and engagement with protected areas in order to truly manage them for and with people. Description: PH.D.ENV.MANGT.&PLANNING Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/24301 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z