MALTA: Several volunteers just returned from Malta, where they had been invited by the Maltese governement.

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The Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment of Malta plans to establish a volunteer association of environmentalists. The ministry has charged a group of experts (university professors, lawyers etc.) to write legislation that provides for the establishment of said environmental organization.
The group of technicians used Law n. 23/89 of the Emilia Romagna Region as a framework. The Law 23/89, which regulates the activity of the Ecological Volunteer Guards of the province of Bologna (GEV), has been customized to conform to the Maltese system (law, cultural and historical situation). The experts have also arranged a training program for new volunteers, with an 80 hour course which has been modeled after the GEV training program.
The Bolognese delegation of the GEV attended a three day conference in Malta from the 27th to 30th of November.
The first day of the conference the delegation met with ministry officials to discuss the first draught of the introduced legislation.
The following day there was a meeting with the members of the existing maltese environmental associations (Nature Trust, …), The GEV introduced the mission of its organization and the principles under which the GEV association operates. The meeting was a great success as it provided for an enriching exchange of ideas for the members of the respective organizations, it was followed by a question and answer period in which the vast majority of the delegates participated.
The third day Mr. Louis F. Cassar, Executive Coordinator of the International Environmental Institute, presented a profile of the training program, which was modeled after GEV’s goals and field of activity, the program was expanded with respect to marine ecology.
Afterward, Nicolas, the Minister’s assistant, was a pleasant guide to the “Buskett”, Malta’s largest wooded area. Much of it was originally planted by people in the old ages but it is now self-sustaining as a semi-natural woodland. The area was established as a natural reserve in 1993 and deemed an Area of Ecological Importance, a Site of Scientific Importance, Scheduled Woodland, and an Area of High Landscape Value in June 1996. The Maltese government also applied for a LIFE European Project for the Buskett. Malta will enter the EU in May 2004.
Due to the ecological importance of the Buskett, the Maltese VEG (Voluntary Ecological Guards) will begin its work there. An added convenience of the Buskett location is that there is a building just at the entrance of the area which would be perfect as the VEG office and meeting point. It is an old winery, and this seems to be a good omen for the future visits of the Italian GEV!