Photos

National Winning Photo 5th – Natural Beauty or Human Disaster?

submitted by Rachel Powell St Theresa College Girls' Junior Lyceum Imriehel
filed under Photos

The idea of conserving the environment is widely acknowledged but are we really taking action to preserve geographical features like the Azure Window in Dwejra (Gozo)? Lately media has focused on the disruption of the ecological features in Dwejra due to the machinery used in a film set. However, damage has always been done to the karstic and fossil features by tramping of tourists, driving of vehicles and even fossil theft. Quarry heaps and soils from fields have deposited silt on the sediment. All this has reduced the extent of the habitat for various communities (MEPA report, 2011).  In order to restore the beauty of the landscape fossil theft should be minimized, wooden paths elevated from the ground could be built in order for tourists to walk on while no vehicles should be allowed to drive on the restricted area.



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Photo Special Prize – Ħela u Ħsara

submitted by Alison Schembri St Benedict College Tarxien Girls' Secondary
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Minn żmien għal żmien, fid-djar tagħna nirċievu bosta magażines u karti b’ messaġġi promozzjonali. Ħafna kumpaniji jużaw dan il-mezz ta' komunikazzjoni bil-għan li jżidu l-bejgħ jew jesponu xi ogetti ġodda fis-suq. Tgħid il-bejjiegħ u l-konsumaturi huma konxji ta’ kemm dan huwa ta’ qerda fuq l-ambjent? Bil-ħajja mgħaġġla tal-lum, naħseb li ftit huma dawk li jaqraw jew jiftħu dak li jkunu rċivew. Nemmen li ħafna jarmuhom, mingħajr ma biss ikunu fetħuhom. Din hija ħela ta' karti u wkoll qerda fuq is-siġar – sors importanti li jnadfu l-arja mniġġsa tagħna. Anke jekk ammont konsiderevoli minn dawn il-karti jiġu rriċiklati, il-ħsara tkun saret xorta waħda għax ir-riċiklaġġ minnu nnifsu jsarraf f’enerġija. Li kieku nevitaw il-Ħela u l-Ħsara, il-generazzjoni futura tkun tista’ tgawdi minn ambjent ahjar bhal ma forsi ġa gawdejna aħna!



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The Maltese Painted Frog

submitted
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The Maltese painted frog, Discoglossus pictus, is found near open places such as in Buskett, small streams, Chadwick Lakes and also in fields. This animal is an amphibian which means that it lives both on water and on land. This is the only frog species in Malta, as is known as an endemic species. Discoglossus pictus usually has a dark olive green colour, their belly is whitish. Females lay a total of 500 to 1000 eggs. The Discoglossus pictus is very rare to find in Malta and this species is becoming extinct. There are many ways to help these animals like not torturing them, leaving them in their own habitat and by not destroying their habitat. It is important to keep them alive or in a few decade's time these amphibians will become extinct.



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The Life-Sustaining Drink

submitted
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The Life-Sustaining Drink Potable water is a life-sustaining drink that is pure enough to be consumed without harming yourself in the process. The demand for fresh water is very high, making potable water a scarce resource. Sources of water supply include: rainfall, ground water and the sea. In most developed countries, it is common to find water supply networks supplying clean water to households. Locally we mainly use reverse osmosis which is a filtration method that removes many types of large molecules and ions from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a selective membrane. Unfortunately this consumes vast amounts of energy. This resource must not be wasted and people should appreciate every single drop of it. In Malta we rely on reverse osmosis far too much and new methods to obtain pure water in a more efficient way must be researched.



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Plants do not want to learn the computer…

submitted
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My friend and I took this photo when we were at Delimara. It is really the limit that we want plants to learn to use the computer! As the flowers cannot be bothered with learning the ECDL this computer will go to waste. Then as waste this computer will harm the natural environment. Without this computer the scenery full of flowers would improve. To save the plants from computer fanatics, persons can be employed to keep watch in these areas. If they catch anyone not respecting the plants they will get a fine. The local council will put signs that the plants do not want to learn the computer and if anyone is caught trying to force the plants against their will they will have to face the consequences. Action has to be taken so that our countryside maintains its natural identity. Leave them plants alone!



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Filfla

submitted
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Filfla is a very small uninhabited island which is one of the islands of the Maltese archipelago. This island is found five kilometres out from the island called Malta. In the year 1971 the royal navy and royal air force used the island as target pratice and because of this the island was destroyed a little. Then in 1980 Filfla was a bird reseve and three species of sea bird settled on the island, these were: the European Storm Petrel , Cory’s Shearwater and Yellow-legged Gull. There is also a type of Wall Lizard which is only found on Filfla. In 1988 this island was established as a protected site, no one could go on it except for scientific purposes.



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The true beauty of nature

submitted
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There’s only one way to describe this picture, “simply beautiful”. This flower is situated in the last place you would think of. It’s found in a field along a main road where cars pass frequently. Doesn’t it inspire you? Does it resemble the rising sun?  It shows the true beauty of nature. How can anyone see this picture and not fall in love with nature? It should inspire us to take a stand and stop the atrocities that people do at nature’s expense. Thus, if you truly respect the beauty that Earth provides, protect your Environment!



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Eyesore

submitted
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On your way down to one of our idyllic local beaches, enclosed in smooth Blue Clay slopes and wrapped up in clear blue waters, there is a building which seems to have been abandoned for quite a number of years most probably due to unstable foundations considering the abundant presence of Blue Clay. Blue Clay is indeed a very soft type of rock and is not really suitable to support construction sites. This derelict building is not only an eyesore to all who visit this beach, but also hazardous. It could be unstable and there is a serious risk of injury to anyone who is curious enough to wander into the building. There could also be a possibility that the building could collapse. Attention must be given to this building for the sake of the beach but mostly for the public's sake.



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Health Hazard

submitted
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On your way down to a secluded beach located near Golden Bay, one would expect to find a scenic view in a quiet beach. This beach is quite rich in biodiversity and it seems to have very little human intervention accept for a concrete staircase; there is also an obvious presence of Blue Clay which forms a hill on top of which picturesque panoramas may be observed. This location seems perfect yet there on the way down to the beach are two rusty garbage bins which lie near the stairs, they are an eyesore to all who visit the site not to mention a health hazard, especially to young children who may cut themselves on the jagged, rusty edges of the metal bins. These bins are undoubtedly full of waste and are highly unhygienic.



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Dangerous Fly Ash

submitted
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Recently, we have been hearing about the disastrous effects of nuclear power stations. But have we ever wondered that radiation which is much worse than that emitted by nuclear power station may be closer to home! All countries which have at one time or another used coal for their power stations have a deposit of fly ash. This fly ash produces radio active waste which is very hazardous because it has a high concentration of uranium and thorium. Although fly ash is often deposited in remote areas, it is often close to farms especially in densely populated countries like Malta. Locally, there is a four storey fly ash waste dump site at Benghajsa. Besides affecting people and being a great eyesore, the radio active waste is leached into the soil and aquifer and also into the nearby sea destroying biodiversity. Is there no better solution for these dumping sites?



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