Future prospects for the valleys of Malta : A survey of interests and powers of local councils and other major stakeholder institutions and how these will determine the future of the valley environment in Malta

Abstract

A large percentage of the valleys of Malta have been taken up by urban sprawl and other development activities. Most of what is left today are mere isolated patches enveloped by buildings and many times impinged by industry and/or rubbish mounds. The island now faces a rather unhealthy and unpromising situation, as more land is being given up to development, with the risk that the last remaining green spaces risk being lost as well. Since local councils have been introduced to monitor day-to-day issues in their localities, little seems to have changed the situation faced by the periphery zone. The study will, therefore, attempt to understand the attitudes and interests of local councilors, but will also seek to see any problems faced by these to understand wholly the reason for the present state of the valley environment in their localities. Also, since central authorities still play a major role in planning and management practices, representative depaiiments of the main authorities that deal with the valley environment have been included in our study. Likewise, non-governmental organizations have also been studied, mainly because some of these are active in projects specifically involving valleys, because some have worked in collaboration with local councils on environment related projects, and also because these often discuss the current degrading state of the valley environment in the media. By basing itself on these tree major stakeholder groups, but with specific emphasis on local councils, the study will attempt to understand whether the author's hypothesis of a very unce1iain future is right, or whether it is possible to determine from now what will be of Malta's valleys.