Conservation planning in a cultural context - an island perspective - the case of the Maltese Islands

Abstract

The challenge of implementing effective conservation initiatives is particularly difficult where a focus on biodiversity can be seen to conflict with socio-cultural priorities of the local human population. Due to their small land area and spatial concentration of pressures, small island states represent one such scenario of conflict. The Maltese Islands, situated in the central Mediterranean, harbour an interesting biodiversity of conservation interest, which is, however, under pressure from the density of the resident population and from a variety of threats, including urbanization, tourism pressures, and bird shooting and trapping, amongst others. Despite an increase in institutional efforts for planning and environmental management since the early 1990s, a review of the current status of habitats and species illustrates that the success of conservation initiatives remains inadequate, arguably due to a limited suite of technical measures, insufficient public outreach and links with other societal interests, and misplaced emphasis on quantity of effort rather than effectiveness. Given the peculiar constraints of the Maltese situation, it is argued that an appropriate conservation strategy must necessarily operate at a broader landscape-wide scale, whilst seeking integration with stakeholder interests in the creation of a product that is both economically viable and culturally acceptable, within the bounds of an appropriately balanced ethic.