Birdlife reacts as Dilapidated hunting structures at Il-Majjistral Park removed

Several dilapidated trapping and hunting structures within a Natura 2000 site at Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park have been removed The Environment Ministry said the operation was carried out by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit in collaboration with the management of Il-Majjistral Park, MEPA and FKNK. Environment Minister Leo Brincat said this was an example of cooperation between hunters and conservationists towards the conservation of biodiversity in a non-confrontational manner. Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes said he hoped that this would not be a one-off occasion.  He said a major strengthening of legal controls over trapping activities would be announced next week. In a reaction, Birdlife said the removal of illegal hunting and trapping structures from public land and protected natural habitats should be a top priority for the government’s environment directorates, but that did not excuse plans to reintroduce environmentally damaging practices like finch trapping. “It is highly disingenuous of the government to try to spin that fact that finally NGOs have been given permission to try to undo some of the damage done by decades of hunting and trapping and use it...