A stakeholders' analysis of sustainability issues in the Maltese islands

Abstract

This research investigates sustainability issues across the Maltese Islands by undertaking a stakeholder analysis. Key stakeholders were selected according to their field of expertise and by attempting to represent all the different actors, and key players, active in Malta's polity community. Semi-structured interviews with the key stakeholders (n=32) were undertaken, following the same methodological patterns identified by Moncada et al. (2006), in order to understand as well as compare trends in Malta's key sustainability issues in the period 2006-2013. The top ten sustainability issues revealed in 2013 followed a similar pattern to those observed by Moncada et al. in 2006, with 'Land Development', 'Environmental Degradation and Climate Change', 'Water Resources', and 'Waste Production and Management' topping the list in 2013. These findings, based on a situated cognitive framework, suggested that differences exist between the business, agricultural, welfare, advisory, political, and innovation sectors of society. Further, stakeholders often had different understanding of sustainability depending on the profession and viewpoint they held. This, in turn, impacts the level of efficiency in which European Union legislation is transposed in Maltese legislation. A knowledge-based understanding of sustainable development as an interdisciplinary approach can allow for more targeted and relevant representations of sustainable living, a topic that is discussed as a further element of future research in the conclusions of this dissertation.