Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542941
5 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 30 JANUARY 2026 NEWS Gozo Police dismantle illegal trapping site at Dwejra following Malta Ranger Unit report GOZO Police dismantled an illegal trapping site on Sunday on the boundary of the Dwejra Natura2000 area, weeks after the official trapping season had closed, following a report from the Malta Ranger Unit. The site contained decoys of Northern Lapwing, a spe- cies protected from trapping, as well as Golden Plovers, and several clap nets. Despite poor weather conditions, with rain and strong winds, the Rang- ers noted that illegal trapping activity often increases rather than decreases during such pe- riods. "The site was quite inaccessi- ble, but the Police were able to dismantle it and confiscate all equipment," the Malta Ranger Unit said in a Facebook post. Gozo currently lacks a dedi- cated Environmental Protec- tion Unit (EPU) within the Po- lice. As a result, district Police officers, whose primary respon- sibilities lie elsewhere, respond to reports of environmental crime. The Malta Ranger Unit emphasized that without a spe- cialised EPU, environmental criminals risk operating with impunity. The Malta Ranger Unit has called repeatedly for the estab- lishment of an EPU presence on Gozo, warning that the absence of specialised enforcement leaves the island's protected flora and fauna vulnerable. The dismantling highlights ongoing concerns about the protection of Natura2000 sites in Malta, which, according to conservation groups, often re- main "designated but unpro- tected." The site contained decoys of Northern Lapwing, a species protected from trapping, as well as Golden Plovers, and several clap nets (Photo: Malta Ranger Unit/Facebook)