LEAF (Learning About Forests) students celebrate Arbor Day

The Ministry for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change in collaboration with Nature Trust-FEE Malta through its international Learning about Forests (LEAF) programme has this morning launched a School-Community Link Project Grant Scheme- Tree Your Town. The ceremony took place at Xrobb l-Għaġin Nature Park and Sustainable Development Centre where a number of indigenous trees were also planted to commemorate the occassion.

During the past months personnel from the PARKs Directorate have been very busy working on a special ramp for mobility impaired persons to be able to access the picnic area at the park. The ramp was officially inaugurated in the presence of Hon. José Herrera – Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change.

In a bid to further assist schools and the general public gain more insight on the importance of trees, Nature Trust –FEE Malta in collaboration with the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and BOV launched a book –Trees and Shrubs of the Maltese Islands. Charles Azzopardi, Executive PR & Marketing at Bank of Valletta said that, “At BOV, we have collaborated on various initiatives with Nature Trust. All projects had the aim of conserving Malta’s indigenous flora and fauna.” Mr Azzopardi explained that through its extensive Community Relations Programme, the Bank invests heavily in the local community, including in the green stakeholder, to which specific reference is made in the Bank’s mission statement. Referring specifically to the publication, he thanked Nature Trust and Dr Eman J Calleja for their efforts saying, “This publication has a critical role to play in cultivating an environmental consciousness among the general public, and therefore is an important contribution both from an educational as well as environmental perspective.” The book is authored by Dr Eman Calleja and a copy of the book was distribuited to each participating school as a reference guide for their Tree Your Town scheme projects.

14 LEAF schools will benefit from the scheme during this scholastic year. The scheme intends to initiate a working collaborative relationship between schools participating in the LEAF programme, their Local Council and other major stakeholders in the school community. The respective parties will work together to identify a derelict site within the confines of the locality and with the assistance of experts devise and implement a water efficient soft landscaping project.

Several experts were also present this morning to provide professional tips to the students present. Special thanks goes to; The Ministry for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change, the Plant Health Directorate, the PARKs Directorate, the Environment and Resources Authority, MCAST Agribusiness Institute, the ‘grow 10 trees’ project, Dr Eman Calleja, Marsaxlokk Local council and Bank of Valletta.