Malta Action Letter

[Guest guest]

Dear animal lovers:

 

Malta is a country composed of three small islands in the middle of the

Mediterranean, 100 kilometers south of Sicily.

 

Malta has one of the world's highest number of hunters per capita, who shoot

and kill any bird that flies. The skies over Malta and the surrounding sea

are devoid of birds. Each year, more than 3 million birds are shot or

trapped on Malta while migrating between Africa and Europe in the spring and

autumn, leading to a gradual decline of these beloved European birds that

traditionally seek refuge in Malta.

 

For more information, photos and videos

go here < http://www.MaltaTouristAction.org >

 

Please send the sample letter below to the President of Malta

Prof. Guido de Marco or if you wish compose one for yourself.

 

Postage is regular air mail to Europe.

 

_________ CUT, PASTE AND PRINT FROM HERE__________

 

The President of Malta

Prof. Guido de Marco

Office of the President

The Palace

Valetta CMR 02

Malta

 

Dear President de Marco,

 

Whilst appreciating your countrys strong commitment to protecting Maltas

natural heritage, it is clear to observant members of the international

community that the efforts made by the administration and the executive

organs are still half-hearted. Many of the uncivilized excesses carried out

in the name of hunting are either tolerated, or a blind eye is turned by the

responsible authorities. It is also clear that, as in other countries,

conservation of natural resources has its price not least in raising public

awareness and effectively training and equipping the police and other

enforcement agencies.

 

Before your appointment as President in April 1999, you held a number of

influential positions within the Maltese Government including that of

Minister for Foreign Affairs. One of your first acts in this capacity was

the submission of Maltas application for membership of the European

Community in Brussels on July 16th, 1990. On the 11th September 1999 you

presented Maltas request for the reactivation of its application for

membership to the President of the European Union.

 

Sadly Malta lags well behind European targets in the environmental field. In

its last regular report the EU Delegation to Malta wrote:

 

Since the last regular report, Malta has made very little progress in the

area of environment.

 

No legislative progress can be reported concerning nature protection.

 

Malta is .. a party to the Bern Convention .. but has a reservation and

exception under the convention in relation to the hunting season.

 

With regard to nature protection, most of the Community legislation has to

be transposed, in particular the wild birds and the habitat directives.

 

It is also obvious to tourists, and increasingly to TV viewers and newspaper

readers in the rest of Europe and elsewhere, that the biannual slaughter of

migratory birds, as well as the trapping and caging of naturally free

species, is an affront and a depletion of our joint European natural

resources; and not just an internal matter for Malta alone.

 

Apart from the obvious long-term environmental consequences and losses for

Malta and the rest of Europe, the Government and people of Malta should

seriously consider the effect of the negative image projected by the

barbaric behaviour of a minority and the economic and representation

penalties that will inevitably follow. In the increasingly popular - and

lucrative - field of Ecotourism Malta has acquired a bad name; and the

inevitable sanctions will be self-imposed. Until a responsible environmental

policy is implemented we will also discourage anyone in our domestic or

business circle from planning a holiday in Malta. On the other hand we hope

that active birdwatchers and environmentalists will travel to Malta during

the migration season. Perhaps the presence of foreign environmentalists will

have a salutary effect on the illegal hunters; provided the authorities

ensure that no danger to life or limb ensues.

 

Mr President, we appeal to you to use the authority of your office to

influence those in executive positions to put an end to practices which have

no place in a modern, environmentally aware, society. This will involve the

introduction of laws and regulations currently in force in the European

Union; and provision of the means to publicise and enforce them.

 

I remain,

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Your Name and Address

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Please now go to < http://proaction.tripod.com/malta/ >

Why don't you join < Eurobirder > and

< http://proaction.tripod.com/team/

 

 

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