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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 29 JULY 2015 7 Natura 2000 plan wary on Ta' Cenc development JAMES DEBONO DEVELOPMENT in Ta' Cenc may have a negative impact on the Ta' Cenc Natura 2000 site, especially if this "is not restricted to disturbed areas and if located close to impor- tant habitat types," the draft man- agement plan for this site warns. The management plan for Ta' Cenc is one of 22 plans issued for public consultation. For the past two decades hotel owner Victor Borg has been trying to develop villas in the area under the pretext of a heritage park. The latest plans include the con- struction of an additional 15 villas next to the current villa complex and expansion of the hotel and resi- dential development in the Fuq tal Gruwa area adjacent to the hotel. According to the management plan important factors which have to be considered are the destruc- tion or fragmentation of habitats, impacts on adjacent habitats from construction activity, and distur- bance of wildlife. The report notes that the site is private property and can only be accessed with permission from the Ta' Cenc Hotel. During a stakeholder meeting mentioned in the report the hotel owners claimed that their target is to increase tourism in the low pe- riod (from November). The owners have also claimed that they have restored rubble walls and expelled hunters and trappers from the site. The cliffs of Ta' Cenc hold the largest concentration of Scopoli's shearwater in the Maltese Islands as well as smaller numbers of Yelk- ouan shearwaters. Ta' Cenc is also one of the two known breeding sites of the Storm Petrel in the Mal- tese Archipelago. White rocks project: Impact unknown The Special Area of Conserva- tion next to the White Rocks in Pembroke is "one of the richest and most important floristic sites in the country," the management plan for the Pembroke SAC says. The report notes that although the White Rocks area is earmarked for redevelopment, "at this stage it is unclear what the impact of the redevelopment will be on the Nat- ura 2000 site". In 2014 the government issued a 45-hectare site, of which the White Rocks complex covers 38%, with the bidders being informed that part of the site is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). This area in Pembroke is protect- ed for its rocky coast, watercourse and surrounding karst land. Between the 1870s and 1977, this area was used as a rifle range for military exercises by the British military "In view that the site was inacces- sible to non military personnel for many years, very little development was carried out, and as a result vari- ous rare and endangered plant spe- cies have survived here, making it one of the richest and most impor- tant floristic sites in the country." While any development will need to adhere to rules governing the management of Natura 2000 sites, a spokesperson for Economy and Investment Minister Chris Car- dona had told MaltaToday in 2014 that this designation does not pre- clude all sorts of development. "It should be remembered that Natura 2000 is not a system of strict nature reserves where all hu- man activities are excluded. The emphasis will be on ensuring that future management is sustainable, both ecologically and economi- cally." The Habitats Directive of the EU designated the garigue adjacent to the abandoned White Rocks site as a Special Area of Conservation which forms part of the EU's Nat- ura 2000 network. This stretch of karstland between the existing complex and the Armed Forces's shooting ranges is accorded a level 3 protection which effectively precludes any residential or tourism related development: in 2001, MEPA rejected a golf course for the area. The coastal zone en- joys an even higher level of protec- tion which precludes any develop- ment. The White Rocks EOI highlights all ecologically and historically sensitive areas on the site. "This was specifically done so that those interested can blend their innova- tive ideas with the environmental aspects, particularly the ecological aspects." Development on the White Rocks is still governed by a 1995 develop- ment brief limiting construction to the space occupied by the derelict complex. The 1995 brief subdivided the White Rocks area into three zones: Zone 1 (38%) consisted of the ex- isting holiday complex and its fa- cilities; Zone 2 (39%) is the mixed garigue and rocky coastline; Zone 3 (23%) is agricultural land. Planning 'action plans' won't say when land is public Special local plans by MEPA won't be required to specify whether land falls under public ownership or not JAMES DEBONO ACTION Plans drafted by the Plan- ning Authority to set the planning parameters for particular sites which cannot be addressed by local plans due to special circumstances, will no longer be required to spec- ify whether land falls under public ownership or not. The current law, which is now be- ing replaced, clearly states an Action Plan must "show the land which is in public ownership and the land which is intended to be brought into public ownership". But the newly proposed planning law does not make any reference to this planning obligation. This means that when such 'action plans' are drafted the public will no longer be informed whether land is under public or private ownership. The current law ensures that the public is informed about the status of private structures encroaching on public land. An action plan or a management plan is a plan setting parameters for a particular specific area where special factors have to be taken into account solely on the basis of the lo- cal plans. Action plans approved in the past included the Ta' Qali action plan which sets out planning parameters for the national park and the Ta' Qali convention centre, the Dwejra natu- ral park action plan and the Crown works action plan. The Marfa ac- tion plan issued in 2002, which sets planning parameters for the Armier boathouse development, has yet to be approved. Low percentage of Maltese with knowledge of personal finance 'worrying' MOST Maltese persons have an "acceptable" understanding of basic financial concepts, but the majority were not applying this knowledge when making savings and long-term investment deci- sions. A survey covering 1,255 respond- ents, based on a pilot study un- dertaken by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Devel- opment (OECD) in 2012, and spon- sored by MSV Life, revealed that only 21.9% of those surveyed held specific plans for their retirement and that only 21% of those aged 53 or under had an idea of what their applicable state pension would be. Other revealing conclusions were that no fewer than 45% of respond- ents showed an attitude of living for today and not caring to save for the future. Also, as many as 40% of respond- ents are not in the habit of having a household budget, which is es- sential for generating savings and planning for the future. These statistics are a cause for concern in that they reveal attitudes and behaviour which fail to provide for circumstances in life when a person needs to access funds in an emergency or to enjoy a decent retirement, which may last a good 20/30 years. Commenting on these findings, David G. Curmi, CEO of MSV Life, emphasised the role of his compa- ny to continue to encourage peo- ple to understand the importance of managing their finances respon- sibly and of taking balanced deci- sions which would ensure that they can continue to enjoy their desired lifestyle over the long term. MSV Life gave its full support to research work undertaken by stu- dent Ann-Marie Mangion, reading for Bachelor of Commerce, Bank- ing and Finance at the Univer- sity of Malta in connection with a dissertation on the subject of "An Analysis of Financial Literacy in Malta", helping in the compilation of the required data, the develop- ment of the surveys and the en- couragement of responses to the surveys. "Our company is committed to contribute towards developing a stronger savings culture in Malta. The trend of diminishing savings in Malta is not unique to the island but is, indeed, a European-wide phenomenon," Curmi said. Also, Stuart Fairbairn, Chief Officer Business Development, explained that the company "con- tinuously strives to make tools available to the public at large with the intention of making financial education easily accessible to all". As examples, he referred to the MSV Simple Guides, the free on- line calculator on MSV website which is easy to use and may be very helpful in making financial decisions, as well as the informa- tion available in the company's Fa- cebook page. Download the MaltaToday App now YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt Majestic – Ta' Cenc cliffs David G. Curmi urged responsible management of finances