Sardinia's example
Published on The Times of Malta on 7th August, 2007 by David Pisani.
Recently Sardinia took a giant step towards saving its coastline for posterity when the island's regional assembly approved a law banning construction on 1,760 km of land near the sea.
The law is expected to kill off plans to build a huge tourist complex on the Costa Turchese on the east coast, near Olbia. The plans, which envisaged 500 hectares of villas and hotels, and moorings for 2,000 yachts, was rejected by successive island governments.
The Costa Turchese, home to a marine nature reserve, is to be rigorously protected from all construction. The measure to protect Sardinia's coasts had first been imposed by decree two years ago, but last week a more carefully refined version was enacted as a law.
Mepa should apply the same principle and law to protect Hondoq ir-Rummien from destruction. We have to be thankful to Mother Nature for creating such beautiful places in Malta and Gozo. Land speculators have to realise that their political way of thinking is doing more harm than good to our tourist industry.
"Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money." Cree Indian Proverb.
Recently Sardinia took a giant step towards saving its coastline for posterity when the island's regional assembly approved a law banning construction on 1,760 km of land near the sea.
The law is expected to kill off plans to build a huge tourist complex on the Costa Turchese on the east coast, near Olbia. The plans, which envisaged 500 hectares of villas and hotels, and moorings for 2,000 yachts, was rejected by successive island governments.
The Costa Turchese, home to a marine nature reserve, is to be rigorously protected from all construction. The measure to protect Sardinia's coasts had first been imposed by decree two years ago, but last week a more carefully refined version was enacted as a law.
Mepa should apply the same principle and law to protect Hondoq ir-Rummien from destruction. We have to be thankful to Mother Nature for creating such beautiful places in Malta and Gozo. Land speculators have to realise that their political way of thinking is doing more harm than good to our tourist industry.
"Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money." Cree Indian Proverb.
posted by Hondoq at
9:43 PM
