Richness of Mediterranean flora
Mr John Azzopardi, Bidnija.
It is rather inconsequential whether the Oxford
Concise or any other English dictionary for that matter, gives the
meaning of garigue/garrigue or not, and if it did, what kind of word
association it made (Hugh Arnett, The Sunday Times, October 2).
Nothing changes the fact that garigue is a
typical Mediterranean Basin ecosystem encompassing a range of
substrates and microclimates. Their diversity is so great that almost
every region or country has its own name or names to designate the
local forms: garrigue in France, garriga in Italy, xerovuni in Greece,
tomillares in Spain, choresh in Israel. It is very simplistic and
dismissive to state that the term relates to scrubland, which may or
may not be of interest or value.
Researchers recognise the Mediterranean Basin as
one of 18 world 'hotspots' where exceptional concentrations of
biodiversity occur. This is consistent with the principle that species
richness increases with decreasing latitude, such that one finds more
species of plants and animals in the Mediterranean than further north.
The flora of the Mediterranean is one of the richest in the Old World
and includes about 10 per cent of all known plant species on Earth.
The Mediterranean flora comprises more than
30,000 species or sub-species, whereas only about 6,000 species of
plants occur in the rest of Europe, an area three to four times greater
in size. The main reason for the richness in Mediterranean plant
species is the fact that more than half the plant species are endemic,
and 80 per cent of all European plant endemics are found in the
Mediterranean Basin. The Mediterranean Basin is nearly as rich in
endemics as all of tropical Africa, even though the latter is about
four times larger.
In invertebrates, as in plants, the Mediterranean
area is the richest in Europe and richer than anywhere else in the
world, including the tropics, with the exception of insects. As in
plants, levels of endemism are high, particularly in insects. A
remarkable feature of garigues is their abundance of insects and other
invertebrates.
Therefore patronisingly playing down the value of
garigue with off-the-cuff comparisons with UK situations is very
inappropriate, to say the least. As pointed out, Northern Europe,
including UK, has not a fraction of the richness of biodiversity that
the Mediterranean has.
Given the comparatively poor flora and fauna in
UK, the construction of the golf courses in UK mentioned by Mr Arnett
may arguably have enhanced the areas in question, but the same result
cannot be expected in a Mediterranean scenario. The construction of
golf courses at Ix-Xaghra l-Hamra and Ta' Cenc will mean the
destruction of endemic species.
Furthermore, the area proposed for the golf
course at Ta' Cenc holds the greatest concentration of nesting
Short-toed Larks in the Maltese Islands. The Short-toed Lark is an
endangered bird and both the bird and its habitat are given high-level
protection under European Union legislation. Breeding Short-toed Larks
have disappeared from much of the Maltese Islands and Ta' Cenc is their
last significant refuge. To make sure that these two locations are
completely and conclusively annihilated, your correspondent is
advocating the construction of reverse osmosis plants and wind
turbines.
The infrastructure required to make such plants
viable would create so much disturbance by way of noise, vibration,
alteration of seawater characteristics, artificial lighting, access
roads, vehicular movement, and so on, that a place like Ix-Xaghra
l-Hamra and Ta' Cenc would become an ecological deserts. The first to
go would be the sensitive seabird colonies and the Blue Rock Thrush
population at Ta' Cenc, probably the highest concentration in the
Maltese Islands.
It is very unfortunate that in 50 years of living
in Malta Mr Arnett has not come to appreciate what is truly
Mediterranean but finds it necessary to make comparison with his
original home. Golf courses on garigue are not a good idea. If we must
have golf courses, then upgrade the Marsa golf course and build one out
of the Maghtab eyesore.
Incidentally, I have never seen hordes of
tourists using the Marsa green. Why would tourists suddenly start
queuing up to come to Malta when we replace the garigue with greens?
What is garigue?
Mr Ivan Padovani, Bidnija.
There exists a deeply-rooted idea in public
perception equating garigue with wasteland. This mistaken belief is
understandable because garigue is a rather specialised example of
naturally-occurring ecosystems as a whole and it is not the sort of
subject that many people would be familiar with.
Additionally, to the untrained eye, a superficial
glance at a typical garigue habitat may reveal little beyond seemingly
empty spaces. However, it is also emergingly clear that there are
people who are deliberately fuelling this false notion for their own
short-sighted, greedy ends and it is time that this misconception was
permanently laid to rest.
An ecosystem is a complex ecological community
and environment forming a functional whole in nature: a community of
animals and plants and the environment in which they live. The key
words in this definition are 'complex', 'functional' and 'whole'. The
system is self-sustaining and has evolved in indescribable detail over
long periods of time. It supports life - ours, as well as that of
countless other species - and provides aesthetic enjoyment for the
human community.
Our highly characteristic Mediterranean bush,
consisting of low, evergreen shrubs and abundant herbaceous plants,
host to a large number of indigenous species of flora and fauna, is
called garigue. It contributes heavily to the overall quality of the
air we breathe, to the erosive, weathering process whereby our soil is
formed and to the balance of air temperatures within which we survive.
It is very much alive and is as important to the quality of our lives
as the sea around us and the air above.
There have been too many facile declarations
recently on the supposed beauty of the proposed golf course. The core
of this argument is the perceived uniform greenness of the final
structure. Let us assume that these declarations are genuinely intended
and let us also, for the moment, set aside the wholesale ecological
destruction that must precede the commencement of such a project, as
well as all biochemical and hydrological consequences.
Wherein, then, lies the fascination with this
static carpet of green - monotonously idle in rain or sun, oblivious to
the changing of the seasons, unpermitting of any life, so alien to
nature's intent that it can only exist if we constantly strive to
obliterate every life-form that may struggle to emerge within and
around it? It survives only on a life-support system that we are
obliged to provide because, in truth, it has no business being there.
And yet, this zombie-like creation purportedly appeals to many among
us, or so we are told.
Why? Because it is simple and requires no
perception or understanding whatsoever to enjoy. It appeals to our
aesthetic laziness. It is exactly what it seems, a fixed green expanse.
There is nothing more to it because what you see is all there is. Had
it been a giant rug, the result would have been much the same. The
garigue that existed before was complex - like a Vermeer or a Rembrandt
is complex. The painting appeals at any level, including the
superficial, but demands further time and study for fuller appreciation
and for its hidden genius to emerge. We therefore tore out the canvas,
all the while loudly decrying its worth, and replaced it with an
off-the-shelf creation of our own. Ditto, our golf course.
One individual, in this same paper, having
admitted his unfamiliarity with the concept of garigue, happily
informed us that he had taken the trouble to look up the meaning of the
word in his dictionary. Having done that, he subsequently considered
himself sufficiently knowledgeable on this complex subject to sneer
openly at those who work to prevent the annihilation of this vital
treasure of the Maltese Islands.
Only a few days ago, it was publicly stated that
"golf courses embellish the environment". The audacity of this nonsense
is breathtaking in its scope. I can only conclude that the environment
the speaker had in mind was either Maghtab or an abandoned quarry.
Failing that, the implications of this statement defy belief. What are
the biological and ecological criteria upon which this stunningly
ill-considered remark is based? Are we actually being told that what
has taken thousands of years to create is to be improved by being torn
out in its entirety and supplanted with this oversized patch of -
nothingness?
• Up • Elephants • The Myth • Garigue in Malta • Not Viable • Golf Logic • The Debate • Med Flora • Sacrifice • Who Pays? • Broken Promises • Building Starts • Suspicious • Wide Angle Alternatives • Good for the syndicate • Constitutional right to enjoyment of environment • Talking Point • Asking the right questions • Golfcourse Blues • A sign of things to come • Protect our open spaces •
