Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/507285
6 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 6 MAY 2015 News ODZ stick, Natural ONE major dilemma environmen- tal NGOs are facing is whether to embrace the new national park proposed on 500 tumoli of land which is being concurrently pro- posed with the development of 90,000 square metres of outside development zone (ODZ) land lo- cated between Zabbar and Mar- saskala. In a mildly worded statement is- sued yesterday, following a meet- ing with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Monday, environmen- tal NGOs made no reference to the proposed natural park but limited themselves to proposing various historical forts in the Kalkara- Zonqor stretch as an alternative to locating the campus on unde- veloped ODZ land in the Zonqor area. From the very start Joseph Mus- cat has been keen on twinning the proposed natural park with the proposed campus by announcing the two developments on the same occasion in a speech delivered on May Day. This suggests that the natural park is not being proposed as an end in itself. In fact the impression given so far is that the natural park is be- ing proposed as a means to an end. The end in this case is even more development. Muscat also said that just as en- vironmentalists stand to lose from the development of some ODZ land developers also stand to lose from the proposed natural park. In reality both the natural park and the ODZ campus are being proposed on land which according to existing rules cannot be devel- oped. As such, the natural park will not extend the area where no develop- ment can take place – so develop- ers will be losing nothing. The fact that the park will be part financed by the Jordanian-owned American University can be seen as a crude attempt to greenwash an ODZ land grab. NGOs are faced with the di- lemma of whether to embrace a new park which is linked with an ODZ development in its vicin- ity. Moreover if they get involved in the park's management NGOs may well end up being financed by a university whose campus is lo- cated on ODZ land. On the other hand, as pointed out by NGOs, the foreign universi- ty which prides on its partnership with the Chicago based Catholic De Paul University, may be embar- rassed by involvement in contro- versy with environmentalists. "As a university that prides itself on having 'more than 45 special- ised centres and institutes focused on addressing social justice issues' DePaul University must surely not want to be associated with such a serious national injustice", the NGOs said. The site selection game After confirming that 90,000 square metres of "unused" agricul- tural land have been identified as the preferred site for the new cam- pus, the government has hinted that it will be considering alterna- tive sites in the south of Malta. In reality the government was very quick in confirming claims made by AD that the new campus is to be located in the Munxar area of Marsaskala. But while both the Prime Minis- ter and Environment Minister Leo Brincat have opened up to envi- ronmentalists, the Labour party's media are raising the expectations of Marsaskala residents by high- lighting the trickle down impact of the huge project. It remains unclear how the site selection process will be conduct- ed, which sites will be considered and what role NGOs will play in the process. There are three ways a site selec- tion exercise can be conducted. One option is that of assessing the potential of alternative sites as part of the EIA for the preferred site. This was the process used by the previous government when assessing the environmental im- pact of the Sant'Antnin recycling plant. Another option is to ask MEPA to conduct an ad hoc study to find an ideal site for the development. This was the method used to iden- tify a site for a proposed golf course by the previous government after the Verdala golf course was turned down in 2004. Yet another option would be that of asking an ad hoc committee ap- pointed by the government to as- sess the potential of different sites. In this way the government would be able to involve different stake- holders. A double-edged sword for NGOs Involvement by environmental- ists in any site selection process offers them the chance to appear constructive and gives them the rare opportunity to inf luence de- cisions. But they risk venturing into an area which falls outside their ex- pertise and to step on murky po- litical grounds where they might end up serving in the role of 'use- ful idiots'. Much depends on whether Mus- cat is hell bent on going ahead with the new campus on ODZ land and is only interested in green wash- ing his choice, or whether he is sincerely open to suggestions by NGOs in a bid to regain the green credentials he lost in the spring hunting referendum. By participating in a site selec- tion exercise, NGOs would have to accept that the outcome could be one which they do not desire. In so doing they may end up le- gitimising a process which may either crown their effectiveness or expose their irrelevance. In their statement NGOs have in- dicated that they have accepted the principle that the new university has to be built somewhere. What will NGOs say if the alternatives they are proposing are deemed not to be feasible? One key issue is whether the site selection process will include ODZ sites like Iz-Zonqor. For if this were to be the case NGOs may well end up participating in a process which may well confirm that iz- Zonqor is more feasible than other proposed sites. Moreover NGOs will have no say in determining the requirements of the new university. That is something which can only be de- The Labour Party's media are raising the expectations of Marsaskala residents James Debono James Debono Finding themselves on the receiving end of Joseph Muscat's carrot and stick strategy poses an existential dilemma for environmental NGOs as the twin prospect of a natural park and an ODZ development loom Centuries-old Fort Ricasoli, abandoned and in need of repair. Now suggested as part of the American University campus