Photos

Are we heading towards a sustainable world?

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The first thing that one would say about this picture is that there is nothing wrong in it and it is one of the most amazing beaches in the island. But only some would notice that the street on the right of the picture is destroying the natural habitat and the beach. If you would ask a person of an elderly age you would find that the street wasn’t always there but the water would keep going in to where we now find the natural reserve. By building this street we destroyed the sand dunes and now when ever you pass on a windy day you could see that this is true since the sand would create small dunes on the street. Are we really heading towards a sustainable world? I think the answer is no. WE shouldn’t continue on building these kinds of streets if we are aiming to get a sustainable world.



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Future Generations?

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As we can see from the picture above, a tank which was probably used for the transportation of corrosive substances or chemicals has been thrown carelessly across the valley to this pond. The corroded part of the tank is also a suggestion that the tank has been in the pond for a long period of time without the authorities taking notice, moreover taking action. Many people can run into conclusions that this can only cause environmental disturbance, however, this is also eye pollution. Valleys and the countryside are very famous tourist attractions, thus pollution can lead to bad impressions on behalf of the tourists, a bad impact on the Tourism Malta. We talk about sustainability. Does everyone understand it? Or it is only a term for environmentalists? We need improvement, changes and modernisation made in a country but what are we doing to our environment? We have to take care of our environment, for the future generations, for a proper understanding of sustainable development.



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Let the wind do the work

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Recently, a lot of awareness has been created about renewable energy. This eco-friendly source of energy is being used much more now than in the past, and is thought to be an ideal replacement for fossil fuels, since these are running out. There is quite a long list of advantages of renewable energy over the burning of the fossil fuels. Renewable energy doesn't pollute the environment and the elements that give us energy aren’t finite. Despite of all the advantages of renewable energy, there are a number of disadvantages. These are rarely mentioned and there isn’t much awareness from the negative aspect. Wind turbines, for example are an eyesore, and even if they are put out on sea, they disturb the natural habitat on the seabed. Wind turbines are also the cause of a great number of deaths of small birds, as well as of the occasional falcon or other birds of prey. All in all renewable energy is a great replacement for fossil fuels, even though it has some disadvantages



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Houses, Hotels, Restaurants, Churches….green?

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Houses, Hotels, Restaurants, Churches… Green? This photo has been captured from a bird’s view of the central part of the Maltese Islands. One can clearly note that only little space is left for vegetation, agriculture, wild animal habitats and natural green spaces. The development of countries and civilisation with all its beneficial advantages also brings destruction to green areas. One should also mention that the constant development and construction of new houses, industrial estates and other buildings bring with them more pollution due to increase in transport and also, noise due to the traffic which is another source of pollution. The building craze has taken the Maltese Islands by storm. A tempest that is sweeping away our greenery and replacing it with the debris left over in the aftermath.



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Cory Shearwaters

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The Cory Shearwaters, Calonectris diomedea, or Ċiefa as known in Maltese, are seen out of their nests, which are located in the cliffs behind. Some of the Cory Sherwaters can be seen bathing in the water and enjoying the pleasant currents of the sea. Malta holds ten percent of the population of this type of bird. This photo was taken on a boat trip organised by Bird Life Malta which seeks to promote the well being of birds on the Maltese Islands. The boat visited the cliffs of Ta’Ċenċ and also its neighbouring cliffs. At the scene you are surrounded by birds and you can see dots, which are birds, as far as the eye can see.



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Oil Drums, Waste, Building, Clay and Sand Dunes,Spot the Odd Ones Out?

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Oil Drums, Waste, Buildings, Clay and Sand Dunes… Spot The Odd Ones Out? In the above picture the stairs are built directly on a sand dune – and therefore directly leaving an impact on the beach – showing how man tried to make the beach more accessible to humans but in so doing he has let an impact on the beach itself. This brings us to ask ourselves a question: is Malta’s main source of income, tourism, and overdevelopment worth the destruction of not only its nature and charm, but what attracts tourists to possibly the Mediterranean’s most sought after island in the first place? It’s also interesting to note that the abandoned and derelict hotel (looking like it had its hayday around 30 years ago) is not only an eyesore to the environment, but built on clay! This means that indeed, it had to be abandoned as the clay would’ve given way!



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Two Structures – both with a different purpose

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Two structures, both man-made, but with a completely different purpose The above picture shows more than what it seems. They say a picture has 1000 words to it… well one word for this: WHY? This leaves us pondering about the visible structures in the picture, mainly the hotel and the tower. They are both a man-made intrusion in (what’s becoming a rare sight) the Maltese landscape. One difference: one was built hundreds of years ago as a fortification against corsair attacks, the other, well, recently built for luxury and tourism! The gist is: ok one’s a necessity the other a luxury, but they’re both after all intrusion in the middle of the countryside. However, it is also very clear to see the difference in the carbon footprint of both structures.



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National Winning Photo 2010 – 1st: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall….

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Vernacular architecture used to be quite abundant in the Maltese islands. This is mostly thanks to rubble walls scattered all over Malta and Gozo. However nowadays, these rubble walls and adjoining fields are constantly being destroyed so that new buildings could be built. It seems that, , the people who take these decisions are finding it very easy to turn their back on all the hard work our ancestors had to endure in order to construct those walls. Their functionality and aesthetic appeal seems to have been lost.



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National Winning Photo 2010 – 2nd: Clouds come and go but Clay Slopes may be lost Forever

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In the area of Imgiebaħ there is a series of high cliffs with clay slopes underneath receding gradually to the coast. This remote area remained a pristine area for generations, until off-roading became a craze. For years landrovers and scramblers had a field day over the clay slopes. Erosion set in and as clay became compacted, vegetation could not grow. This speeded up the loss of clay to the coast below. However, awareness to save the clay slopes is now in full swing as all form of off-roading is now banned. The cliffs are now smiling over the clay slopes as they can now breathe freely as no more scrambling will take place.



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National Winning Photo 2010 – 3rd/International Special Prize: The Gateway to the Future of the Natural World… OUR World.

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The opinion of most people living in the Maltese Islands today is that the environment is their rubbish tip. Around this structure, you can see a not-so-attractive assortment of rubble, plastic appliances, pipes, and wires, directly underneath a sign that says “Keep everywhere clean”. Is this some sort of sick joke? If this is what we have reduced ourselves to, what will we do next? How about burning down Buskett (Malta’s only woodland) and turning it into a landfill? Or maybe killing off every single bird that flies our way? The state of the Maltese countryside is a disgrace; and the people are doing nothing about it. The future looms ahead – will we avert course, or will we perish?



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