Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/753405
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2016 40 This Week The common crane is a bird that nests in bogs in remote coniferous forests, but that's of course in spring and summer, which they spend dancing (they dance, yes), romancing, gulping frogs and raising progeny. Come autumn, they all fly off to warmer winters, and many sing their auld lang syne in North Africa. As if being large, long-necked, long-legged and broad-winged weren't spectacular enough, cranes also have this habit of migrating in long thin lines, each line sometimes numbering hundreds... and hundreds of these undulating strings can mean tens of thousands of birds! Sadly we don't get these mind-boggling spectacles in Malta but some stragglers do grace our skies. So every autumn a few lucky birdwatchers excitedly report a flock or two, flying in V-formation. Let's hope we get a few squadrons this year, ideally out of shotgun range. GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 436: WRAP CREATIVELY: You can reuse gift bags, bows and event paper, but you can also make something unique by using old maps, cloth or even newspaper. Flip a paper grocery bag inside out and give your child stamps or markers to create their own wrapping paper that's environmentally friendly and extra special for the recipient. 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 Victor Falzon Photo Adin Vella 533. COMMON CRANE EU's Land Footprint - Recommendations for policy makers Implement the Land Footprint at EU and Member State level: measurement and monitoring of the Land Footprint, leading to reduction targets, should be part of impact assessments in all policies and initiatives linked with EU land use (e.g. the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, EU Sustainability Strategy, EU Common Agricultural Policy), and in the Economic Semester for EU Member States. The Cropland Footprint in particular, is ready to be implemented immediately, and is also the most important to reduce, due to the EU's increasing use of cropland outside its borders and potentially high associated impacts. Develop policies and incentives that encourage a reduction in the consumption of land intensive products or products that embody relatively high environmental impacts: By taking a consumption- based approach to land use and related impacts, it is possible to identify the full impact of a product over its whole life cycle and thus introduce measures to reduce land intensive and high-impact products such as most products from animal origin. New hardback book by Prof Anthony Aquilina records celebrated author Desmond Morris's love of the Maltese fishing boats WAY back in the late 60s and early 70s of the last century, the world famous author Desmond Morris carried out a very detailed researched study on the boats of Malta during his six-year stint in Malta – a study that he kept shelved these long years and has only now seen the light of day in a special hardback luxury edition, edited by Professor Anthony 'To- ni' Aquilina from the Department of Translation, Terminology and Interpreting Studies of the Fac- ulty of Arts, University of Malta. It is the editor's friendship with the author, triggered off after his translation and publication of 'Catlore' into Maltese ('Din- jet il-Qattus' – 2015), that led to this lavishly illustrated book with over 150 colour prints from among an even vaster collection of photographs, the majority of which taken by Desmond Morris himself. In the author's own words, "This book sets out to record one of the major art forms of the Mal- tese Islands – the painted fishing boats." After making a detailed field-sketch of each and every boat he came across in Malta 40 years or so ago, he produced a study of all the colour variations of these boats. Desmond Morris was born in 1928 in Purton North Wiltshire, England and lives in Oxford. Be- sides being a world-famous zool- ogist and ethnologist, authoring about one hundred books, he is also a well-established surrealist painter with over 40 solo exhibi- tions, while also enjoying a suc- cessful broadcasting career. Together with his wife Ramona he came to live in Malta after the publication of The Naked Ape which was an immediate best- seller. While in Malta, he wrote and eventually published two books – The Human Zoo (1969) and Intimate Behaviour (1972). Last year, after the publication of Aquilina's translation of his Dinjet il-Qattus, the University of Malta, bestowed Morris with a Doctorate Honoris Causa. The Boats of Malta – The Art of the Fishermen is published by Faraxa New book chronicles Desmond Morris's love of Maltese boats