Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/624751
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 JANUARY 2016 17 News ! Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government BUSINESS BREAKFAST THE EFFECTS OF THE JUSTICE REFORM ON MALTA'S COMPETITIVENESS The Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government will be organising a Business Breakfast discussing the Effects of the Justice Reform on Malta's Competitiveness. The Business Breakfast will give an opportunity to the business community to discuss the effects of the Justice Reform on Malta's Competitiveness. The Business Breakfast will be free of charge and will be held on Thursday 21 st January 2016 at 8:30 am. Attendance is strictly by invitation and businesses/firms interested in participating should either phone on 22013124 between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm or email on permsec.mjcl@gov.mt by not later than Monday 18 th January 2016, to be provided with further details. like the Suez Canal for instance, but that up until a few years ago these creatures could not survive the cooler temperatures of the Mediterranean. "The issue is that some of these species can be very invasive, and there are cases where they are having negative economic im- pacts," he says, making particular reference to the Nomadic jellyfish, spotted in Maltese waters in Au- gust. The particular species has been known to clog power station pipes and fishing nets towards Israel, Lebanon and Turkey, where it is present in large quantities. Earlier this year, another alien species, the toxic silver cheeked toad- fish, was also spotted, sparking concerns about the fast spreading fish and whether they could pose health risks to humans, not to mention popula- tions of other fish. "Other fish spotted in Maltese waters in recent years include a specific kind of algae that nega- tively impacts the ecologically important Posidonia meadows, and the lionfish, a species that has established itself more in the Western Mediterranean," Deidun says, adding that the latter partic- ular species could eat many other species, besides being venomous itself. He cautions that the fact that temperatures were getting warmer could potentially mean that para- sites and pathogens spread more quickly due to a phenomenon known as 'over-wintering'. "The cold winter months used to be enough to prevent certain pathogens from surviving, but giv- en the rise in temperatures, some of these creatures are surviving both on land and in the water," he said. He also says that the lack of rain- fall is also having drastic effects on amphibians and the already limited creatures that rely on fresh water. "This year, the Bahrija watercourse is still dry and crea- tures like the Fresh Water Crab and the Mediterranean painted frog are still absent," he says, not- ing that November and December were typically among the rainiest months on the island, and there- fore essential to these species. Deidun explained that although statistics might suggest normal- ity in Malta, the world was going through extremes, as can be seen in the violent El Nino weather phenomenon currently batter- ing various parts of the world. He added that these extremes could only be expected to worsen over time. Migratory birds and breeding patterns The changes in the agricultural sector are also having a domino effect on certain migratory birds, according to BirdLife Malta con- servation manager Nicholas Bar- bara. "Although no specific studies have been carried out into the ef- fects of climate change on indi- vidual species, observations show that the migration patterns of small birds like robins and war- blers have changed significantly, with the birds arriving in Malta earlier in spring and later in au- tumn than before." Barbara says that for such small birds, Malta was merely a stop-off in their long journeys across seas, stopping here to re-fuel as it were. "The problem is that given the fact that they are arriving here too early, the necessary foods would not have matured sufficiently yet," he says, adding that the long-term effects of this were naturally of some concern. "Farming practises and delays due to warmer temperatures are also affecting birds like the turtle doves, for instance." The species relies heavily on seeds. And now with the rise in tem- perature, some birds are actually changing their routes completely. "For some migratory birds it has become enough to stop in South- ern Europe, rather than continue to North Africa in order to find sufficiently warm temperatures." Back into the urban areas and away from Malta's shrinking coun- tryside, one rainy day in the week is a reminder that this should be the season for wet, desolate days. But the warm sun is out the next day to disappoint. The New York Times has also ranked Malta third out of 52 cities that must be visited in 2016. Its warm and sunny win- ters continues to be a major draw, climate change anxiety or not. mborg@mediatoday.com.mt Alan Deidun Harvests from non-indigenous olive trees have three differently sized fruits during the harvesting season. This is evidence of the fact that the olive is finding the optimum temperatures to develop its fruits more than once a year. But this inevitably causes unnecessary stress to the tree, which is locally traditionally harvested in May. The migration patterns of small birds like robins and warblers have changed significantly, with the birds arriving in Malta earlier in spring and later in autumn than before