Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1240944
7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 APRIL 2020 NEWS JAMES DEBONO EVERY cloud comes with a sil- ver lining, even in the COVID-19 pandemic, as plants are making a comeback in the lockdown, according to Andrea Francesca Bellia and Sandro Lanfranco, two leading Maltese scientists and re- searchers from the University of Malta's Department of Biology. "Species are returning to their old haunts and air quality is im- proving. Suddenly, our conser- vation efforts do not seem so fu- tile," the two scientists wrote in an article penned for a European conservation website. Accompanied by photos of Maltese endemic plants like the Pyramidal Orchid and the Mal- tese Everlasting, the scientists say that as a result of the neces- sitated change in human actions, "the environment seems to be re- sponding positively to the reduc- tion of individuals in direct and destructive contact with it". The conservationists augured that "once this is all over, we will be able to maintain the changes that have led to it in order to be able to appreciate our natural en- vironment. Change human be- haviour... and we have changed everything." While acknowledging that co- operation on conservation ef- forts were dealt a blow due to the impossibility of holding confer- ences which bring together "sea- soned and budding scientists" to share and discuss ideas, modern technology and countless tech- nological advancements had aid- ed them in mitigating this effect "by enabling us to reach other in- dividuals at the click of a button". One such event particularly affected was 'CA18201', one of many COST (European Coop- eration in Science and Technol- ogy) actions dedicated to scien- tific collaboration. The main aim of this particular action is to implement an inte- grated, 21st century approach to the conservation of threatened plant species. This is being done by establish- ing a network of scientific spe- cialist experts and stakeholders across 37 participating countries, including Malta. Due to issues such as climate change, conflicts of land use and overpopulation, the current goals set to protect native plants from extinction however were not attained. "Unfortunately, conservation campaigns for plants are less likely to attract public attention as those targeting 'cuter, cuddli- er' flagship species such as pan- das, snow leopards and the like," the two scientists said. While plants are cast aside when it comes to conservation priority, they contribute far more to our everyday lives by providing us with vast exploita- tional and cultural services. Out of the 391,000 known plant spe- cies, over 20% are threatened by extinction. Much remains un- known about their biology and conservation status, especially for rarer and more threatened species. Maltese plants respond positively in shutdown Maltese Stocks (left) and the Pyramidal Orchid