The Ramblers’ Association was thanked for its “visible and committed” work in favour of the environment during a meeting with the Labour Party (PL)’s main spokesperson for the environment, sustainable development and climate change Leo Brincat yesterday.
During the meeting, Brincat praised the association for offering hope and courage to the environment during a year that was “very difficult” for the environment, especially due to deficiencies in the protection of nature, bad land use and weak law enforcement with regards to Malta’s natural heritage.
“The Ramblers’ Association deserve much more appreciation for what they are doing to safeguard and improve the beauty of the Maltese countryside,” Brincat insisted.
He explained how the Association gave a push to the most inclusive, sociable, and sustainable means of transport available to everyone, walking, that combines physical exercise together with access to the open countryside.
“At the same time, with their work they are also promoting the health and well-being of Maltese and Gozitan citizens,” Brincat added.
Brincat complained that Malta still lacked enough bicycle lanes despite the incentives that were given in the 2009 Budget speech for the promotion of bicycle use, as well as walking paths and routes to facilitate walking in Malta.
“This is obstructing the activities’ organised by organisations like the Ramblers’ Association,” he insisted.
Brincat added that if one considered the fact that Malta is one of the EU Member States’ with the highest usage of private cars even for very short distances, the importance of the role of the Ramblers’ Association took another dimension.
“This is because the promotion of walking might combine walking for medical purposes, leisure purposed and transport over shorter distances,” he explained.
Brincat augured that working with foreign associations which have the same aims as the Ramblers’ Association – provided that the country built more facilities and really safeguarded the Maltese and Gozitan countryside – the potential of bringing over fellow ramblers for a walking holiday in Malta would increase.
On his part, Lino Bugeja, who led the Ramblers’ Association delegation, explained that the main aim of the organisation was to improve the quality of life by encouraging people to walk especially in the countryside for their entire lives.
“Unfortunately, the situation in Malta is that with every environment achievement by the green organisations, a new case where we are asked to intervene crops up,” Bugeja told him.
Bugeja appealed to the PL to continue giving priority to the environment.
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