Hi, my name is Simon. I come from Malta, where I am currently a student of the Post-Graduate Diploma/ Masters of Science in Conservation Technology for Masonry Building at the University of Malta. In my free time I do gardening, collecting different specimens of rocks and photography. And I like reading about different cultures, especially those found lying within the Mediterranean Region and of the Orient. Since 2003 I am working as a youth officer for Nature Trust Malta on a voluntary basis to protect and raise awareness on various environmental issues that are of concern today like renewable energy, sustainable tourism, and ecology.

Most people know Malta only from postcards. As a true Maltese, can you give an introduction to your country?

The Maltese Archipelago (including some uninhabited islands) is located at the centre of the Mediterranean, with Malta being 93 km south of Sicily and 288 km north of Africa. Our Capital City Valletta is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The official languages are Maltese and English. The climate is typical for the Central Mediterranean Region. Summers are hot, dry and very sunny. often mitigated by cooling sea breezes, but in spring and autumn a very hot wind from Africa occasionally brings unseasonably high temperatures and humidity. The Maltese Archipelago topography consists of hills and plains, plateaus and ridges and valleys. These different landforms provide the physical setting for a wide range of ecological communities including steppe, garigue, maquis, and semi-natural woodlands.

Which environmental problems does Malta face nowadays?

Since the 1970s, the Maltese Archipelago has experienced a building boom. Hence, land fragmentation and rapid urban sprawl occurred which has resulted in the extinction of several plant species. Additionally waste generation is on the increase in the Maltese Archipelago. The lack of control and laissez-fair attitude of the past government and the whole society has resulted in a mountainous dump on the eastern coast of Malta. It was only until recent times that an effort is being made to manage these dump sites as well as to promote a waste hierarchy in the following order: reduce, re-use, recycle, composting and landfilling. While work has commenced, it is still in its initial stages. The attraction of mass tourism is one of the biggest environmental problems. The Archipelago has been attracting over 1 million tourist since the last decade. Although the economy benefits a great deal from the tourism industry, there are negative impacts such as additional waste generation, excessive consumption of water and electricity, and the land taken up for tourist accommodation What could be done is to develop and promote ecotourism activities, while controlling the impacts resulting from mass tourism. If you are visiting Malta, the choice is up to you to decide for eco-tourism and therefore make a positive contribution to the protection of our beautiful archipelago.

What is your organization Nature Trust Malta doing to protect what’s left?

We are a Non-governmental Organization (NGO), committed to the conservation of nature by promoting environmental awareness, managing areas of natural and scientific importance and lobbying for effective environmental legislation. Currently we have about 2000 members. Nature Trust Youths is a subgroup created for young people aged between 16 to 25 years of age and led by them. They work on a voluntary basis to promote environmental awareness among the local youths and the wider society. We use creative activities to bring environmental issues to the public such as rock concerts for fundraising, social activities such as BBQ’s during summer and live-ins, and exhibitions. Nature Trust Youths has partnered international actions in the past years and is also active in international youth environmental networks. At present, preparation is underway on a youth exchange aiming to bring youths together from the Euro-Mediterranean region and exchange ideas regarding the effects of mass tourism. Potential sites that could be developed as ecotourists sites will be highlighted and documented in a catalogue. In this way, Nature Trust youths will get a wider view regarding the effects of mass tourism while discuss what is being done to control the effects of mass tourism.

Sounds like a lot of work. Why do you think it is worthwhile to engage in an NGO?

Youths embrace the future of the world. Hence, there engagement in environmentally and socially sensitive organizations will help them to spread knowledge and educate the public while proving to be a model to other youths which are not active.

Thanks for the interview.