BirdLife Malta is

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

's biggest environmental movement. The organization's stated aim is to "achieve protection of wild

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

, natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

and

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

". BirdLife Malta is also Malta's first environment

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

. It was founded in January 1962, and was then known as MOS (Malta Ornithological Society). It started off more as a study group, but quickly came to realize that wild birds were in dire need of protection. Today Birdlife Malta works to protect bird populations. Malta is a very densely populated small

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

island state An island country, island state or an island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...

, with no truly wild areas left. The biggest threats to birds in Malta are

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

(e.g. new roads, building development, hotels,

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

s), disturbance and direct persecution (

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

trapping Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. History Neolithi ...

). Malta has been called "the most savagely bird-hostile place in Europe".Jonathan Franzen, “Emptying the Skies,” ''The New Yorker'', July 26, 2010, p. 48 BirdLife Malta uses various methods to protect birds. 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 is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

, a global network of environmental organizations in 100 countries and territories. Causes of Population Decline: Hunting and illegal poaching of birds, especially larger predatory birds can have a significant impact on their population size and has resulted in some population decline. Recently the Maltese government agreed to allow the shooting of 5,000 Turtle Doves. This created controversy due to the endangered status of these birds. BirdLife Malta works to prevent the illegal hunting of birds and works to maintain Malta as a safe stop for the many migratory bird species that pass through on an annual bases.

References

3. Hirschfeld, A. X. E. L., & Heyd, A. L. E. X. A. N. D. E. R. (2005). Mortality of migratory birds caused by hunting in Europe: bag statistics and proposals for the conservation of birds and animal welfare. ''Berichte zum Vogelschutz'', ''42'', 47–74. add Sultana, J. & Borg, J.J. 1915. History of Ornithology in Malta. BirdLife Malta, Malta - see Chapter 13.

External links

Official website
Environment of Malta Bird conservation organizations Organizations established in 1962 1962 establishments in Malta Animal welfare organisations based in Malta {{environmental-org-stub

See also

References

External links