New regulations to protect trees and wooded areas come into force
A new set of regulations relating to the protection of trees and woodland areas was announced in a press conference on Wednesday by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and the Ministry for the Environment.
The new regulations build on those already implemented in 2001 and 2011, providing additional protection to more species of trees. Among other changes, they stipulate that interventions on trees must be conducted by licensed arborists; introduce additional criteria and processing fees for environmental permits; and add administrative fines for infringements with a penalty scale that varies according to the species and the gravity of the offence.
The new regulations almost double the number of species under protection, stipulating that all trees outside the development zone must be protected, along with those in green areas and urban public open spaces – the latter being the most significant change. Furthermore, trees over 50 years old will also be protected, as will 60 wooded areas across Malta and Gozo.
Special protection and priority is given to indigenous trees, while certain stipulations are made on the planting of invasive and alien species. Nevertheless, fig (Ficus) and eucalyptus trees, which are both alien, are protected as long as they are in urban public open spaces.
The CEO of the ERA, Louise Portelli, made sure to specify that the actual meaning of protection was not that nothing could be done to these trees, but that a relationship had to be built between the authorities and all those directly in contact with trees in order to ensure an approach that would guarantee their protection. Portelli also spoke of the ERA’s commitment to raising awareness on the need to protect trees.
Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Jose Herrera also addressed the press conference, saying that he was very happy that the new regulations provided for the protection of over 90 tree species. He added that the harsher fines brought in by the regulations would serve as a deterrent to damaging trees.
Herrera also described certain criticism directed towards his ministry as either “hearsay” or based on “superficial research.” He said that claims his ministry was not doing enough in terms of trees on the island did not hold water. This year, he said, would see a record 12,000 trees planted. He insisted that criticism relating to how the environment was being treated in terms of infrastructural projects was also incorrect and that there was close coordination between the environment and transport ministries, ensuring that if trees did have to be removed, they were either transplanted or replaced with many more than there previously had been.