Protecting Malta's Wild Flora: The Urgent Call to Action

Local councils continuing to cut wild vegetation is no longer an issue of awareness, nor can ignorance be claimed. The impacts of urbanisation on Malta’s already limited natural spaces are well known. The Foundation has repeatedly communicated with all local councils, and put forward a clear proposal to protect rural wild flora through bye-laws. Yet these efforts have fallen on deaf ears.

Timing is one of the most critical concerns. Cutting during spring removes flowering plants at their peak, directly depriving pollinators of essential food sources. This includes the Maltese Honey Bee, declared Malta’s National Insect in September 2024. Through this declaration, Malta committed to protecting the habitats necessary for the survival of its national insect. Without nectar-rich wild plants, however, such commitment becomes yet another green-washing initiative.

A view of a stone wall covered with vegetation, adjacent to a narrow asphalt road, with some litter visible in the background.

A narrow road lined with low stone walls, with a few garbage bags on the side and a stone building partially visible in the background under an overcast sky.

Rural verges are far from insignificant. In a country facing relentless urban encroachment, they serve as vital ecological corridors providing connectivity, refuge, and feeding grounds for a wide range of species. Every remaining strip of wild habitat counts, offering both ecological value and an environmental respite within an increasingly built landscape.

Moreover, frequent cutting does not “improve” the landscape; it actively degrades it by facilitating the spread of invasive species such as fountain grass and the castor oil plant. Fountain grass, being wind-pollinated, provides no benefit to pollinators, while the castor oil plant is highly poisonous. In effect, valuable native flora is replaced by harmful and ecologically barren vegetation.

The perception of “tidiness” must also be challenged. Cutting often creates only the illusion of maintenance, while wasting public funds, human resources, and effort while leaving behind a sterile landscape and rows of black bags. The attached picture taken in March 2026 from Żurrieq and Mqabba show rural areas being stripped of wild flora, instead of preserved. This mentality must change. A “clean” landscape is not necessarily a healthy one. Measures such as restricting clearing to appropriate periods of the year are effective and have been clearly communicated.

A stone wall borders a grassy path lined with black plastic bags, under a blue sky with clouds.

A series of transparent bags filled with freshly cut grass lined along a stone wall, with a clear blue sky and fluffy clouds in the background.

A pathway lined with wrapped bundles of vegetation alongside a stone wall under a clear blue sky.

The Foundation continues to engage with policymakers to advocate for change, and we remain hopeful that progress will come to fruition soon. However, broader public support is essential. If you are concerned about the continued removal of wild vegetation, we urge you to contact your local councillors and raise this issue. Speak up, and help drive the shift in mentality that is urgently needed.

And as Anton Buttigieg so beautifully reminds us in his poem “Lellux”, the quiet beauty of our wild flora deserves not only our admiration, but our protection.

Kull fejn tħares u timraħ
lellux ma’ kullimkien:
lellux ġo nofs is-silla
lellux fuq is-sisien:
lellux fid-djar imwaqqgħa
lellux ma’ tul is-swar;
lellux ġol-blat tal-plajja,
lellux fuq il-kampnar.

Xuxtu ħadrani mżejna
bi fjuri safranin
fid-difa tar-rebbiegħa
ileqqu qalbenin;
donnhom flok qatriet t’ilma
ix-xita raxxet xmux
li birku f’kull indana
fix-xtieli tal-lellux.

– A. Buttigieg

This article, written by Dylan Farrugia and Abner Joe Buttigieg, co-founders and administrators of the Foundation for the Conservation of the Maltese Honey Bee, was published in the Times of Malta on 16 April 2026.

Every Flower Matters Leave Rural Wild Flora Be Download

A cartoon illustration of a smiling bee character with a round face, wearing a black and yellow striped outfit, and large eyes. The background features a honeycomb pattern, with the name 'Katerina' written in a playful font.

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