Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/664438
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 APRIL 2016 42 This Week After a dismally poor rainy season, flowers this spring have been very spare. The ground is already almost bone dry and the windy weather in recent days has not helped much. Contrary to some people's general impression, Malta is very rich in flowering plants. Our wild flowers come in a wide colour spectrum – with yellow or white being the dominant colours – but blue is one of the rarer hues. Luckily, one blue-flowering species is very common: it's the familiar borage (M: fidloqqom), now in bloom, though much less in evidence than usual. Borage is not choosy about its habitat, as it grows happily in field borders, country lanes and even on piles of rubble. The leaves are rough and bristly, indeed the plant is bristly all over, including stalks and flower stems. The flowers come in various shades of blue, occasionally pink too, but whatever the shade, the flowers always typically face downwards. Borage had various medicinal uses in the past, especially for colds and coughs, and its leaves were also made into salad! GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 404: FOR AN ANALYSIS OF THE NEW DOCUMENTS, PLEASE SEE HERE - HTTP://WWW.FOEMALTA.ORG/LINKS/TTIPANALYSIS Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation – www.foemalta.org/ donate Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text and photo Victor Falzon 501. BORAGE 'But it's just a tree' THROUGHOUT my professional career I have heard this said so many times, all over the world, and I never cease to find it upset- ting. Trees are present, in one form or another, almost everywhere in the world, includ- ing hot deserts where these small islands of green offer urgent hope of water, shade and food to animals and humans. So why do the peoples of the "modern" world consider them to be "just trees"? Through- out history, trees have provided us with shelter, heating, transport and food for ourselves and the an- imals that we depend upon. So in this modern world of manmade plastic, steel and concrete, why are trees so important? On a hot day, I seek trees' cool shade, enjoying the huge variety of birdlife that visits trees. Tree canopies attract people in the same way, allowing them to meet many future friends they would otherwise never meet, in a way that for some reason does not happen by sitting under a com- mercial awning. Trees draw creatures together in the same way. Insects, birds, large fauna and even fungi rely on these magnificent structures of nature. Over time, woodlands and forests develop. Even small clumps of trees de- velop their own eco- system, one relying on the other, providing shelter, shade, food, places to nest, holes for insects and mam- mals. Each species brings its own benefit, nutrient is supplied from excretions either by large animals seek- ing shade or small ani- mals living in the canopy. In fact, everything that holds this fragile world of ours together relies in no small part upon trees. All things in the world require water in order to exist. So do trees. It is fascinating to learn how trees aid themselves by caus- ing dew to condense and drip to roots as hot days turn into cold nights in one natural system. Trees make their own compost, shedding old leaf growth. This layer retains moisture within the soil, then fungi and insects break down the residue, providing nu- trients and more surface soil for another tree. Moisture builds in the soil as trees catch water run- off, and roots break the rock al- lowing rain to soak into the soil and leach down into the water table. The only species not to bring any benefit is ours. It seems that we have forgotten just how im- portant trees are and imagine that plastic is more useful to the modern world. This would mean that more than two-thirds of all cancer-fighting drugs would no longer be available, just to name two medical remedies produced by trees. Indigenous Maltese trees have vital importance within the ecol- ogy of the islands, and this should not be underestimated. Malta and Gozo have already had many trees removed and replaced with concrete. More trees will produce more life, more shade, cooler summers, more water, and more soil. Ascension Island used to be a barren volcanic rock until one peak was planted with trees. Now it is a self-sustaining rainforest in the middle of the Pacific in the re- gions where planting took place. So is it "just a tree, a thing that gets in the way of concrete?"or one of nature's most diverse, useful and life-giving creations, important to the planet but even more important to Malta as these islands face hotter and drier climates. Ian Lansley is a professional arboricultural consultant and lecturer. Having visited Malta regularly for over a decade he now consults on the island which he has come to consider his second home Ian Lansley Ascension Island Fears of TTIP threat to democracy, as key documents published A recently released European Commission document outlines its position on key aspects of the EU-US trade negotiations – including regulatory cooperation and good regulatory practices. Friends of the Earth believes that this document confirms fears that democratically-agreed laws put in place to protect the environment and human health could come under attack as part of the TTIP negotiations and in a context of growing attacks on regulations through the so- called 'Better Regulation' agenda. While this new proposal on regulatory cooperation differs in several aspects from the earlier text tabled by the EU, it confirms one thing: the European Commission's continuous push towards weakening environmental, health, safety and consumer standards to increase corporate profits. If agreed, the proposals would further enshrine big business influence on decision-making, while undermining the power of the European and national parliaments. Since the beginning of the EU-US trade negotiations, 'regulatory cooperation' has been a centrepiece of the planned agreement. Following significant criticisms, the European Union has adjusted its position, although Friends of the Earth Europe believes the most dangerous aspects remain.