Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/975483
17 out. But on so many grounds, we can still work together," Sul- tana said. In February, BirdLife toyed with the idea of a second refer- endum in response to the deci- sion by the Ornis Committee to recommend moving the spring hunting season forward by two weeks. This suggestion was subse- quently met and appeased by the government, which then moved the spring hunting dates for- ward, thereby coinciding it with the peak migration of the pro- tected turtle dove. Fast forward the end of the new spring hunting season, and surely enough, a signifi- cant number of protected birds were shot, with BirdLife Malta claiming that the vast majority of hunters spotted were hunting illegally for turtle dove and not quail. Mifsud Bonnici doesn't believe that another referendum would solve the conservation conflict. "The current conflict can only escalate to the detriment of tackling common issues that put conservation at risk." KSU committee member Nyal Xuereb said that the socio-eco- nomic and political perspec- tive must be analysed prior to a referendum, as he believes that the spring hunting referendum further emphasised a social di- vide. "The referendum attracted social participation in the run- up to the actual vote. Such par- ticipation progressed into an 'us' and 'them' issue." "One must hence ask: did so- ciety benefit from such a divide? How will another social divide, within such a short time-frame, benefit society?" For Xuereb, the reason behind the previous referendum result is obvious. "Having self-declared majority backing for years, ar- rogance took over and they lost touch with the social fabric of the Maltese society," he said, ex- plaining that extremist and abo- litionist positions are not backed by the majority of the electorate. Birdlife miss a very important aspect of Maltese society, ac- cording to Xuereb. "Practically, in each and every family, even if at an extended level – a hunter is present." It comes as no surprise that attachment to family mem- bers wins over the hearts and minds of Maltese voters. Xuereb is also concerned by the cost of running another referendum, especially within a short-time frame. He insisted that the cost is not justified, es- pecially considering that Bird- Life "acknowledges errors in its campaign". He said this should instead be considered as an "ad- mittance, from the entity itself, of gross negligence and incom- petence" as well as "a lack of re- spect for society." The previous referendum cost society millions, according to Xuereb, who has ethical objec- tions to this. "Shall society keep on funding its 'training' games, till the entity produces a winning strategy?" he said. This is seen as particularly unfair since hunters have to pay licences which could otherwise be funnelled into con- servation projects. There may also be an ideologi- cal side to the spring hunting de- bate, which makes a victory for anti-hunting conservationists even less likely. "Europe – and that includes Malta – has seen a popular gain in liberal ideolo- gies," Xuereb said, noting that Birdlife proposals are inherently illiberal. A referendum "seeks to restrict rather than grant rights" to only a "fraction of society." But BirdLife say that they would not opt for a referendum unless they believed that it would bring about positive change. "While building bridges and working on common grounds would remain a valid tool and method to safe- guard nature through collabo- ration, we still need to work on having legislation changed so as not to allow for spring hunting," BirdLife CEO Mark Sultana said. This might only come about through a referendum, and Sul- tana thinks that we should not shy away from it simply due to potential collateral damage. Conservationists, including BirdLife, tend to believe that scientific facts and dialogue should be enough for a govern- ment to take the right decisions. "But if this does not happen, and the enforcement authorities, in- cluding the EU Commission, do not act against the wrong deci- sion, then surely the referendum would remain the last resort and should be used as told to bring about change – albeit a bit 'forceful'," Sultana said. Besides, a referendum is not there to resolve any conflicts. "A referendum is designed to allow the people to decide on a matter in which the government doesn't feel it has remit," Sul- tana said. "Another referendum, if necessary, would mean that it is the only hope to seek the right decision on spring hunting, but it is obviously not going to change the opinions of hunters – so an element of conflict will remain, and hopefully dwindle over time." But what about other issues? The article published by the Isle of the Left suggested that both parties could hold similar views on issues such as urban develop- ment. "Calls for them to work together in greater coalitions to protect encroachment into Out- side Development Zones (ODZ) might well represent those few opportunities left for reconcilia- tion, which are essential if con- servation is to succeed," it read. But Sultana thinks that the hunting lobby does not work quite the same way as an NGO. "The hunters would be wel- comed to join the rest of civil society and protests and policy work on such an issue," he said, explaining that BirdLife is not all about birds and hunting. In fact, the organisation works tirelessly to push for environmental con- sciousness, particularly with re- gard to the development sector in the country. "We can work with government one day, and criticise it on the same day, mainly because what we work on is not for our mem- bers but for the common good of the country," Sultana said. "Un- fortunately, the hunting lobby only has interest in the good of its members, so they have yet to earn that level of respect. Surely they do not feel comfortable in criticising government policy on anything but hunting and trap- ping." If true, such a position would make it endlessly difficult for environmentalist groups and hunters to work together. Sultana recognises that a ref- erendum would not solve all problems, but that's not what a referendum would be aiming to do anyway. "We are not working on one front only," he told us, explaining that BirdLife works towards policy change in other ways, and thinks long-term. The eNGO focuses on educa- tion, especially with children, to foster respect towards na- ture, and pours its efforts into enforcement – either by doing it themselves or by pressuring authorities to act. They have also incessantly demanded for a wildlife crime unit to be set up within the police force, and collaborated with various stake- holders – including hunters. "Our hands are reaching out to start discussing issues," Sultana confirmed. In fact, he said that he would fully support managing the con- flict between the two camps and reaching an agreement. Just not on spring hunting: "The two lobbies cannot agree or compromise, because on val- ues, you do not compromise." tia.reljic@mediatoday.com.mt maltatoday SUNDAY 29 APRIL 2018 News conflict': Is a referendum the answer? Clockwise from top: St Hubert Hunters representatives Nyal Xuereb and Mark Mifsud Bonnici and BirdLife CEO Mark Sultana