Times of Malta 28 January 2008 – Nature and heritage lovers may want to reserve one of their Sunday mornings for a guided walk at Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park after the government yesterday formally entrusted its management to three NGOs.

The park, which stretches along the coast from Golden Bay to Anchor Bay in the limits of Mellieħa, will be managed by Din l-Art Ħelwa, Nature Trust and the Gaia Foundation. The land area is estimated to be five times the size of Valletta and includes coastal cliffs and several historical and archaeological sites.

Nature and heritage lovers may want to reserve one of their Sunday mornings for a guided walk at Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park after the government yesterday formally entrusted its management to three NGOs.

The park, which stretches along the coast from Golden Bay to Anchor Bay in the limits of Mellieħa, will be managed by Din l-Art Ħelwa, Nature Trust and the Gaia Foundation. The land area is estimated to be five times the size of Valletta and includes coastal cliffs and several historical and archaeological sites.

The NGOs will safeguard the park’s natural, cultural and rural heritage while enriching the visitor experience.

The idea to turn the land into a national park was born after a highly controversial proposal to build a golf course there was dropped by the government.

“This is a breakthrough in environmental management, both in terms of the fact that the management has been entrusted to NGOs, and because it targets the management of the west part of the island,” Gaia Foundation director Rudolf Ragonesi said after signing the management agreement at the park along with the other parties involved.

“We will endeavour to put the park on the map as an eco-tourist site thus merging the environment with tourism.”

The occasion was marked with family activities, stalls selling local produce, tree planting and music.

Din l-Art Ħelwa president Martin Galea said that the Park Management Board was set up last May and, since then, detailed management plans had been drafted, applications filed for the restoration of certain sites and a public consultation process called.

Yesterday’s agreement meant that all this could now start to be implemented.

Board chairman Stanley Zammit said that, through this agreement, the government also pledged to provide financial backing. This year the park will be allocated €116,000 (Lm49,760) while next year the amount will go down to €70,000 (Lm30,000).

As the board wanted more funding, it had applied for €3 million (Lm1.29 million) from the EU Structural Funds.

“We believe this park will be a jewel for the public and deserves to be maintained in the best possible manner,” he said adding that, yesterday, 500 trees were planted and the first free guided tours organised.

Speaking before the agreement was signed, Environment Minister George Pullicino noted that the country’s heritage was not limited to bastions and churches but included the environmental heritage that everyone ought to be proud of and protect.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said he was glad to close this legislature with this environmentally-related agreement. The government was making a statement – that it trusted the park in the hands of NGOs to manage it in the best interest of the public.

Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park was established last year through a legal notice. Mepa will be responsible for the approval of management plans and regulations. The board is composed of three representatives from the NGOs, three from the public sector and the chairman.

For more information visit www.majjistral.org.