BirdLife Malta
Encyclopedia
BirdLife Malta is Malta
's biggest environmental movement. The organisation's stated aim is to "achieve protection of wild birds, natural habitat
and biodiversity
".
BirdLife Malta is also Malta's first environment NGO
. It was founded in January 1962 and was then known as MOS (Malta Ornithological Society). It started off more as a study group, but rapidly realised that wild birds were in dire need of someone to fight for their protection. All of BirdLife Malta's efforts today are directly or indirectly channeled towards bird protection.
Malta is a very densely populated small Mediterranean island state, with no truly wild areas left. The biggest threats to birds in Malta are habitat destruction (e.g. new roads, building development, hotels, golf course
s), disturbance and direct persecution (hunting
, trapping
). Malta has been called "the most savagely bird-hostile place in Europe".
BirdLife Malta uses various ways to achieve bird protection. Foremost among its methods are education, especially through schools campaigns, publications, the media and an active junior member section; the management of two wetland nature reserves, namely Għadira and Is-Simar; lobbying the authorities for better bird-protection legislation; assisting the police for better law enforcement; reclaiming and improving degraded habitat; and doing research about birds and their habitat to identify more areas for protection.
BirdLife Malta issues various newsletters and magazines for its membership, and publishes books about natural history. Its latest book is Nature in Gozo (2007).
BirdLife Malta is an entirely voluntary organisation and dependent on subscription and donations. Membership currently stands at about 3000.
BirdLife Malta is a Partner of BirdLife International
, a global network of environmental organisations in 100 countries and territories.
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
's biggest environmental movement. The organisation's stated aim is to "achieve protection of wild birds, natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
and biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
".
BirdLife Malta is also Malta's first environment NGO
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
. It was founded in January 1962 and was then known as MOS (Malta Ornithological Society). It started off more as a study group, but rapidly realised that wild birds were in dire need of someone to fight for their protection. All of BirdLife Malta's efforts today are directly or indirectly channeled towards bird protection.
Malta is a very densely populated small Mediterranean island state, with no truly wild areas left. The biggest threats to birds in Malta are habitat destruction (e.g. new roads, building development, hotels, golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s), disturbance and direct persecution (hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, trapping
Bird trapping
Bird trapping techniques to capture wild birds include a wide range of techniques that have their origins in the hunting of birds for food. While hunting for food does not require the birds to be caught alive, some trapping techniques are used to capture birds without harming them particularly for...
). Malta has been called "the most savagely bird-hostile place in Europe".
BirdLife Malta uses various ways to achieve bird protection. Foremost among its methods are education, especially through schools campaigns, publications, the media and an active junior member section; the management of two wetland nature reserves, namely Għadira and Is-Simar; lobbying the authorities for better bird-protection legislation; assisting the police for better law enforcement; reclaiming and improving degraded habitat; and doing research about birds and their habitat to identify more areas for protection.
BirdLife Malta issues various newsletters and magazines for its membership, and publishes books about natural history. Its latest book is Nature in Gozo (2007).
BirdLife Malta is an entirely voluntary organisation and dependent on subscription and donations. Membership currently stands at about 3000.
BirdLife Malta is a Partner of BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
, a global network of environmental organisations in 100 countries and territories.