Labour MEP candidate believes volunteer rangers going overboard in their patrol for illegalities

Labour’s MEP candidate Marija Sara Vella Gafà believes volunteer environmental rangers are going overboard in their patrolling of the countryside for environmental illegalities.

“The time has come to strike a balance between traditional Maltese hobbies and environmental protection,” the Labour MEP candidate.

Vella Gafà said people have reached out to her on what she claims is a “large and exaggerated” presence of Malta Ranger Unit (MRU) personnel in the Maltese countryside.

“While we want to protect the environment, we also need to see that anyone with a legitimate interest can exercise it within the parameters of the law. It is time to be clear about what right one has to enter private property for the purpose of environmental protection. With clear rules, we can avoid unnecessary conflicts,” she said.

But an MRU spokesperson debunked the Labour candidate’s claims, saying she is “spewing misinformation” and continuing to fuel the flames of antagonization against the NGO’s volunteers.

The spokesperson said MRU rangers number less than 10, and claims of them entering private property were completely untrue.

“We also do not carry out any legal action. We just report illegalities to the police’s environmental unit, and it is they who take people to court,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also said the locality where Vella Gafà is mayor has one of the highest figures of environmental illegalities. “She obviously did not mention that.”

The MRU spokesperson said the Labour MEP candidate never reached out to speak about the issue before taking to social media to voice her concerns.

MRU rangers serve as citizen-protectors, documenting and reporting environmental crimes, collecting evidence, and cooperating with the authorities for stronger prosecution.

The MRU actively engages in lobbying efforts to improve and enforce environmental legislation through constructive dialogue with lawmakers.

Earlier this month a crackdown on illegal trapping saw authorities discover 27 illegal sites across Malta and Gozo.

Authorities seized 33 sets of clap nets, numerous illegal bird callers, and a total of 263 live birds, predominantly finches, in operations targeting hotspots near the coastlines of Fawwara, Dingli, Żurrieq, as well as Sannat and Qala in Gozo. One illegal trapping site was uncovered near the Basilica of the National Shrine of Ta' Pinu in Għarb.