Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/637230
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2016 10 News JAMES DEBONO A proposed quarry in the picturesque Wied Moqbol valley in the Hal Far and Zurrieq areas could lead an already endangered bird colony to abandon the area. The cliffs at Hal Far host 800 pairs of Co- ry's Shearwater, making this colony the larg- est in mainland Malta and the second largest after the Ta' Cenc colony in Gozo. The cliffs also host a smaller population of Yelkouan Shearwaters (150 pairs). Both species of birds are protected by law and the Yelkouan is also red-listed as Vul- nerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Malta Environment and Planning Au- thority's Environment and Review Tribunal is rehearing an appeal against the refusal handed down in 2005 for a quarry in agri- cultural land in Wied Moqbol, a valley in Zurrieq. Coupled with the impact of the exist- ing quarries in the area the excavation of a brand new quarry could further continue to disturb and possibly destroy the seabird colonies. Both species are sensitive towards light and noise pollution and further develop- ment and excavation works could put their nesting habitats at risk. Noted researcher Benjamin Metzger in- sists on Malta's obligation to safeguard the future of Shearwaters. "When it comes to the Yelkouan Shear- water, we speak of about 10% of the global population breeding in the Maltese islands," he points out. "Light and noise pollution put the colonies at risk and the birds might abandon the area," according to Dr Metzger, Project Manager of EU-Life Arcipelagu Garnija programme. He goes on to warn that young shearwaters get disoriented by light and get grounded in- land instead of flying out to sea. Metzger has spent more than four years in Malta working to protect Maltese seabird species: the Yelkouan Shearwaters (Garnija), Scopoli's Shearwaters (Ciefa) and Mediter- ranean Storm petrels (Kangu ta' Filfla). Metzger has previously worked with sea- birds on research vessels in the Baltic and the North Sea and had also volunteered at La Palma island in the Canaries, where a very small population of Manx Shearwaters is left. There have been documented cases where even streetlights have been sufficient to cause partial abandonment of nesting colo- nies in Malta. For example the Hal Far colony (West of Wied Ix-Xaqqa to Wied Moqbol Cliffs) was partially abandoned by Yelkouan Shearwa- ters after the introduction of domestic and industrial lighting. The birds abandoned a section of their colony along the cliffs affected by the lights, but remained on the unaffected side behind the headland, which was shielded from light pollution. Even minor light sources such as car headlights and torches have been noted to disturb the birds while they are at sea or in flight and this can result in Yelkouan Shearwaters behaving abnormally, and re- maining away from breeding crevices. In December 2014, the MEPA appeals tribunal had revoked a previous decision not to issue a permit for a quarry in the picturesque Wied Moqbol valley – handed down by MEPA in 2005 and by a different appeals board four years later in 2009. The Tribunal was subsequently rebuked by Mr Justice Mark Chetcuti for not stick- ing to its role, that of enforcing policies, and was ordered to hear the case again. The original application first turned down in 2005, was for the relocation of a quarry from Hagar Qim to Wied Moqbol. The site at Wied Moqbol is designated by the South Malta Local Plan as an ag- ricultural area but two older quarries are already operating in the area. The policy clearly states: "MEPA will continue to protect agricultural land from all types of inappropriate development. Within agricultural areas, as indicated on the relevant Environmental Constraints Maps, only buildings, structures and uses essential to the needs of agriculture will be permitted". Wied Moqbol is also designated as a Spe- cial Area of Conservation of International Importance under the Natura 2000 pro- gramme, in view of the importance of the species as well as archaeological remains found there. Moqbol valley quarry endangers bird colony Noted researcher Benjamin Metzger insists on Malta's obligation to safeguard the future of Shearwaters. "When it comes to the Yelkouan Shearwater, we speak of about 10% of the global population breeding in the Maltese islands." MATTHEW AGIUS A Russian woman who convinced her six year old daughter to falsely accuse her estranged husband of child sex abuse was handed a sus- pended 13 month prison sentence last Wednesday. The woman, who lives in Gozo and is fighting a contentious separa- tion from her Maltese husband, had filed a report in March 2014, accus- ing her husband of sexually abusing her daughter, aged six at the time. A month later she had released a signed declaration, explaining that her six year old daughter had told her that her former husband had "shook her bottoms [sic]", while touching her private parts from be- hind. The accused had told the police that she was very concerned and had asked her daughter about this a thousand times over, even rousing her daughter from sleep, ostensibly to catch her with her guard down and find out whether she was tell- ing the truth. But the police's suspicions were aroused when, during a two-hour interview at the Police Headquar- ters, the investigating officer noted that the woman's focus and con- cern appeared to be geared more towards her complaints against her husband than the alleged abuse of her daughter. After allowing her to conclude a lengthy diatribe against her husband, the woman was spe- cifically asked to state something positive about the man. The woman replied that "there is nothing posi- tive to report." Inspector Melvin Camilleri tes- tified earlier this month, telling Magistrate Joseph Mifsud that he, together with a female officer, had also interviewed the daughter, in the presence of her mother. The first question posed to the daughter was to tell the officers about her family. The girl "imme- diately as if rehearsed, said that her father treated her badly and even his family treated her in the same manner". The child also said there was nothing favourable to say and that there was always something wrong with her father's family. Unprompt- ed and unexpectedly, the child said that her father had touched her "pipi and popo," referring to her private areas, while she had been lying down at her grandmother's house. "When we requested her to ex- plain, physically explain, although she said "shook her bottom, in Maltese... she didn't make a shak- ing movement but a cuddling ges- ture like grabbing her. So that was one thing that set off my alarm and made me suspect that the child might have been instructed as to what she had to say." "At one point she just turned over to her mother and said something in Russian, which I immediately asked the mother to translate. The mother said the child mentioned something related to pornography." But after letting the child carry on talking about how her father used to smack and mistreat her, the in- spector asked her about this por- nography. "She replied that whilst touching her "patata" the father had red pornographic eyes." He pressed the child on what she meant by the phrase "red pornographic eyes." He asked whether anyone had told her what "red pornographic eyes" meant. "She told me, yes, mummy." The child was asked whether any- one had instructed her to say this. "She repeated that her mummy had told her to say so." The girl's younger brother was al- so interviewed by the police. When asked about his father, the child would simply repeat a word in Rus- sian, which the mother explained meant "bandit, a bad man." The boy could not explain why he referred to his father in this way, but said that his father was "always naughty and he never fed him well because he always fed him bread and never cooked ravioli." The father was also questioned by police. He had explained that, after a previous arraignment on allega- tions of mistreatment, a court had appointed a counsellor, who had advised them to have a second child to save their broken relationship, just two months after the wife had suffered a miscarriage. Inspector Camilleri, who holds a Masters degree in Investigative Psychology, had red-flagged three points to his superiors: the manner in which the couple had been mar- ried and the question of revenge; the untreated effects of potential postpartum depression and paren- tal alienation. He had recommend- ed that no criminal action be taken against the father. Of the children's behaviour, he noted "there is a combination of factors, particularly indoctrination against the other party as in this case child custody and separation disputes. Whereas normally for that age, three and six, their father is their hero, both these children found complete fault with their father, with their situation as if he were demonized. So considering all this I recommended that no crimi- nal action should be taken." Magistrate Mifsud found the mother guilty of making calumni- ous accusations and handed her a 13-month prison sentence, sus- pended for two years. Mother used daughter in false allegations against dad The Hal Far colony was partially abandoned by Yelkouan Shearwaters after the introduction of domestic and industrial lighting