BirdLife write to PM to return hunting under purview of environment minister

BirdLife Malta is calling on the Prime Minister to keep bird conservation and protection under the minister for environment.

In a letter sent this morning to PM Robert Abela, BirdLife Malta congratulated him for his electoral success and wished him the same for the coming five years as Prime Minister of Malta.

BirdLife Malta highlighted the importance of not splitting the conservation and protection of biodiversity.

“Malta’s Environment Act gathers all this under its remit including the Conservation of Wild Birds and consequently also the Wild Birds Regulations Unit. As expressed by BirdLife Malta in the past, we urged the Prime Minister to place these remits under the Ministry for the Environment, also as requested by the same Environment Act,” CEO Mark Sultana said.

“BirdLife Malta hopes this request will be seriously considered as being both reasonable and legal and stated that it looks forward to continue collaborating with the Malta government and, in particular, with the Ministry for the Environment.”

As stipulated by Malta’s environment laws, it is only the environment minister who is concerned with the conservation of wild birds’ regulations, including hunting and trapping.

But in 2020, Robert Abela placed the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) under the remit of Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri, who is himself a hunter.

BirdLife Malta not only described this decision as “diabolical” but also shown how it is illegal within the present legislation, leading them to file a court case, that so far has been unsuccessful.

The Wild Birds Regulation Unit centralises the regulatory functions for the implementation of the Conservation​ of Wild Birds Regulations and to oversee and drive the implementation of government policy on sustainable hunting governance and wild birds conservation.