Voluntary organisation
Environment
Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar
Committed to protecting and campaigning for Malta and Gozo’s environmental and cultural heritage for a socially inclusive and sustainable quality of life.
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar works to protect Malta’s urban and rural heritage, and quality of life through better management of Malta’s planning process and public assets. We campaign for urban green spaces and protect trees, raising awareness of the public’s right to a healthy environment. FAA does this by taking up planning cases that have an impact on heritage and communities, as well as by running planning courses. We give lectures to secondary and tertiary students and organise projects to sensitise architecture students to planning, heritage and environment issues. FAA also holds gardening courses to encourage the greening of Malta.
FAA’s campaigning has saved countless sites from abusive development, including Ramla l-Ħamra, Ta’ Ħagrat Temples, the Baroque Palazzos of Villa Bologna, Villa Mekrech and Palazzo Giannin. We saved St John’s Cathedral from damage through the excavation of an underground museum, prevented the destruction of Misraħ San Ġorġ to create a car park, saved the trees at It-Tokk and the Salina tree canopy from destruction. We have brought about changes in laws through our lobbying, and our media campaigns have raised awareness of the importance of Malta’s built and rural heritage to our national identity, economy as well as agriculture and food security. The Maltese are more aware of the need to protect the environment and to have public green spaces in urban areas to ensure physical and mental health. Importantly, FAA has empowered the public with awareness that they have a right to environmental information and the right to have a say in environmental decisions that affect them.
