Hundreds of trees planted during 10th anniversary celebration at Majjistral Nature and History Park

Last week the Majjistral Nature and History Park marked its 10th anniversary with a full week of activities titled ‘Festa Natura – Learn, Explore, Sustain’. Hundreds of people seized the opportunity to get closer to nature in the unspoilt surroundings of the Park and appreciate the beauty of its biodiversity.

The event was a joint effort between the Majjistral Nature and History Park, the Ministry for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change and the Environment and Resources Authority.

One of the highlights of the week-long celebration was the initiative to plant hundreds of trees in the Park to commemorate the occasion, which will be the legacy of this 10th anniversary. This initiative was led by Ambjent Malta and the Environment and Resources Authority. The trees were planted throughout the week by school children, volunteers from different organisations and by the general public during the weekend.

The Park covers a six kilometre stretch of coastline extending from Golden Bay to Il-Prajjet and Ix-Xagħra l-Ħamra, and has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation of International Importance while also being a Natura 2000 site.

During the week, educational outings were organised for school children who had the opportunity to enjoy the park’s countryside, explore its natural heritage and learn more about the environment through educational talks, demonstrations and activities by representatives from Green MT, Wasteserv Malta and Gaia Foundation. The children also contributed firsthand towards the sustainability of the park by participating in tree-planting activities. On Thursday, the Mayor of Mellieha, representatives of the Mellieha Local Council together with Mellieha Primary Ekoskola Committee joined the school children in the tree-planting activity.

A number of NGOs also con- tributed to the activities during the week, with a walk at the Park organised by the Ramblers Association, tree-planting by the Għaqda Siġar Maltin and the Trees Foundation and clean-up activities organised by Malta Clean Up.

During the open weekend, the Majjistral Nature and History Park was transformed into an adventurer’s haven with a variety of free activities including archery, abseiling, yoga, guided treks, cycling, ziplining, kayaking, bird-watching as well as landscape and wildlife photography. Members of the public also attended talks led by a number of experts including Alfred E. Baldacchino who led a talk on butterflies, Peter Gatt who spoke about wormeries, Joseph Sciberras from the Malta Organic Agriculture Movement and representatives from Shark Lab and Greenhouse who delved into Conservation. For archaeology and history enthusiasts, Dr Keith Buhagiar gave an overview of the cultural landscape of the Park pre-1530 and Ghislaine Calleja spoke about the History of the Majjistral Nature Park.

Genuine local produce was also on display during Festa Natura. Local products such as fruits and vegetables, a variety of wines and traditional home-made treats were on sale at the stalls. Visitors also had the opportunity to discover more about marine and bird life in the area, ongoing conservation efforts, the importance of soil propagation and sustainability in general thanks to a number of NGOs who set up informative stalls on site. The participating NGOs included ERA, Sharklab, BirdLife, Bonsai Group and the Manikata Cooperative.