My time at Foresta 2000 – the story of the ranger

I had been a member of Birdlife Malta (MOS) since I was quite young when I joined up. It was in 1972 I believe after I had been to a talk on birds by Joe Sultana (Anaccomplished ornithologist, writer and environmental activist. He served as Secretary General (1967-1975) and then President (1976-1987) of the Malta Ornithological Society (MOS) which later became BirdLife Malta)1 and Alfred Baldacchino (From 1974 to 1986 was the General Secretary of the Malta Ornithological Society - now BirdLife Malta)2. Since then, birds have been my passion. I remember the camps at Għadira in the 70's and also organizing my own camps even before it was a bird sanctuary and reserve. There were the exciting trips to Filfla and my first birdwatching overseas to Tunisia in 1977. The following year I emigrated back to Canada but kept in touch until I returned back to Malta in 1985.

After doing several jobs mostly in accounts and administration the opportunity to work at a new reserve came up in 2004 when a ranger was needed for Foresta2000.

After an interview I got the job. I remember my first day in August 2004, when I began to have my doubts in that hot summer day overlooking a bare hillside with only a few plants which had been planted, wilting away in the summer heat. Even after two weeks on the job some vandals took most of that small number of trees out. Not a great start...

Immediately though I began to prepare phase one of the forest planting and by October was beginning to plant trees and shrubs and waiting for the rains. It was a hectic winter with tree planting and cutting the continuous growth of weeds and grass from around the new saplings. In those days we had come to the conclusion that we should have at least 60 percent of native shrubs and 40 percent of local trees to provide both food and shade for the birds. The following summer was even busier with digging holes and putting water pipes all down the hillside and along the upper ridge. Then in autumn the first large consignment of trees and shrubs came in from the Corpo Forestale in Italy. On a wet day I remember unloading the container until we were soaked to the bone. Help was always on the way with a French high school and after with Swedish students coming to spend weeks with me.

Slowly Phase 1 and then Phase 2 were planted. Along the way more vandalism took place, arson attacks started to hit the area, at least three in that year. Even in the dead of night I was awakened to help put out fires one night.

Then in 2007 the worse nightmare happened, in May I went down in the morning and found practically every tree and shrub pulled out, smashed or cut to pieces! There was around 3000 of them. It was the worst thing to happen to me to date. I was completely devastated, and it was one of the worse environmental disasters to have occurred in Malta. I remember the numerous TV and radio shows I was interviewed on and newspaper articles...sadly no one was seen or caught. In the meantime the Minister of the Environment came up with the idea to plant 6000, then 9000, then 12,000 trees to cover the loss. I was worried when 15,000 was mentioned as there had to be a huge and concerted effort to dig so many holes considering the fact I was mostly alone.

Fortunately, PARK, the government agency for afforestation came to the rescue sending workers all over the area digging holes and preparing for the big day in October of 2007. The Red Tower (Saint Agatha's Tower (Torri ta' Sant'Agata), also known as the Red Tower ( Torri l-Aħmar), is a large bastioned watchtower in Mellieħa, Malta. It was built between 1647 and 1649, as the sixth of the Lascaris towers) was the focus with TV live shows, and a host of dignitaries all coming to plant trees.

I never saw so many: Prime Minister, Ministers, Ambassadors, singers, football coaches, Miss Malta contestants, bishops all coming to plant trees that weekend! The event started on a Friday with school children and ended on Sunday night (it was dark by the time the last trees were planted). Birdlife Malta staff were all over the site handing out shovels and hoes and running from one site to another as it was all done by schedule according to how many people from various associations and companies showed up. In the meantime, hundreds of people from the public showed up. Parking had to be held in Għadira and mini buses were bringing up scores of people to plant trees under the Tree4U programme. It was probably the greatest moment for me that weekend to see what a great response there was.

Then on Monday morning it hit me. What was supposed to be a 10-year programme done in phases of two years each was done all at once! I had to see how I could keep these trees all alive and keep my record of 94 percent success rate to hold. Fortunately help was on the way with abundant rains and by summer two water tankers from PARK used to arrive at 6.00 am to help me irrigate the areas without the underwater pipes. As soon as they left, I would start watering the areas where I had the underground pipes buried in the clay from the large reservoir in the Red Tower. On Saturdays I would replenish the reservoir with a private contractor and then later with a PARK tanker filling up water from the natural spring in Mellieha, Lija and Mgarr reservoirs and wherever I could get my hands on any rainwater supply! I was happy that my 94 percent rate was being kept up!

Things were going along quite well until 2010 when three hunters apparently ticked off by a shorter hunting season cut down around 110 pine trees. This time they were caught and admitted but fined only 3000 euros and 100 hours of community work (hopefully not with me). After an appeal the fine went up to 37,000 euros as not even the minimum sentence was given by the magistrate. Only shows you how low the environment is on the ladder! A few years later my entire olive grove was also decimated with 36 olive trees also cut down. Nothing is worse than having so much hard work destroyed by ignorant people, Not even when I was shot twice, on the 1st of October 2007 and then again on the 14th April 2009 was I so devastated and I had to hold my composure many times as not to show and give them the joy of seeing me so irate.

Summer was always irrigation time, but come November the trees had to have the excess vegetation growing around them trimmed down so as to prevent another arson attempt. With time the trees grew tall enough to provide shade and less grass growth underneath them.

After 20 years and watching how tall the trees have grown and seeing the large amount of shrubs growing by dispersal of seeds by birds I can really say how fortunate I was to have been part of this great event which the young members of Birdlife dreamt up for the millennium. Watching the resident teacher walking the school children in the shade of the trees gives me hope that a new generation will eventually grow up to appreciate nature more and more!

1.Joe Sultana was born in Xagħra (Gozo) in 1939, he was married to Lucy (nee Sammut), and was father to Ruth and Mark. He started as a teacher with the Education Department in 1957 and retired as Principal Environment Officer with the Environment Protection Department in 2000. He served on the Board of Directors of the Planning Authority (1992–1997), as consultant at the Ministry of Environment (2001–2002) and Technical Advisor & Chairman of the Ornis Committee (2003–2006). Mr Sultana also participated in the formulation of legislation for the protection of sites and birds and was instrumental in setting up the Għadira and Is-Simar protected areas.

Sultana has volunteered for the Malta Ornithological Society (MOS), later BirdLife Malta, since its foundation in 1962, serving as Secretary (1967–1975), President (1976–1987) and Head of Ringing Scheme (1971–2002). He was also editor of Bird’s Eye View and Il-Merill and authored or co-authored several landmark books about birds in Malta including A Guide to the Birds of Malta (1975), the Birds Chapter in the Red Data Book for the Maltese Islands (1999) and The Breeding Birds of Malta (2011), amongst many others.

Sultana’s studies and research ranged over a number of bird species especially the local breeding birds. He found seabirds of great interest and conducted research and data collection on the breeding colonies of seabirds.

On the international scene, Sultana served as Chairman of the ICPB’s (International Council for Bird Preservation) European Section (1985–1992), as World Council Member of BirdLife International (1994–1999) and Chairman of the Medmaravis Council (1995–2011). Furthermore, during his Council of Europe appointments, he was a member of the Steering Committee on Conservation and Management of the Environment and Natural Habitats (1982–1994), Chairman of Naturopa Centre (1987–1998), member of the Organising Committee for European Conservation Year 1995 (1993–1995), and a European Diploma sites appraisal reporter since 2000. Additionally, he was also consultant to the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas for the Strategic Action Programme for the conservation of Biological Diversity (SAP BIO) project and the Action Plan for the Conservation of Annex II Birds (2001–2003).

Throughout the years, Sultana has been awarded with the Gouden Lepelaar (Golden Spoonbill) award by Vogelbescherming Nederland (Birdlife, Netherlands) (1993); the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Medal (1996); an Honorary Life Membership by the British Ornithologists’ Union (1999) and made a Member of Honour by BirdLife International (1999) for his significant contribution to bird and nature conservation.

[Source - https://era.org.mt/joe-sultana/]

2. Alfred E. Baldacchino

Born in Rabat, Malta on 20th April 1946. Studied at the Lyceum, Ħamrun; Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology; St. Michael’s Teachers Training College of Education from where he graduated as a teacher in (1972); University of Malta: Diploma in Environmental Science (1988); Diploma in Public Administration (1993); Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Management (1994); M.Sc. (Environment Management and Planning (1995).

From 1974 to 1986 was the General Secretary of the Malta Ornithological Society (now BirdLife Malta). Coordinated and adapted television programmes, presented and produced radio programmes, and presently regular contributor to the mass media and also to radio programmes.

Appointed assistant Director responsible for the protection of Biodiversity in the Environment Protection Directorate, within the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, until retirement in 2007.

[Source - https://bdlbooks.com/authors/alfred-e-baldacchino/]