Friends of the Earth Malta together with Front Ħarsien ODZ  will be holding a seminar titled ‘Right to Nature – Inspiring Active Citizenship’ on the 5th of March 9am to 3pm, at the Volunteer Centre in Melita Street, Valletta. The aim of the seminar is to arm citizens with the tools necessary to inspire active participation in communities, regulatory frameworks, public consultations and other outlets in relation to environmental issues.

Both organizations noted that environmental conscience in Malta is on the increase, however not all citizens feel empowered enough to be actively involved in the struggle that preserving our natural environment has become.

‘The seminar is the start of a series of events the Front will organize along with collaborating NGOs and entities. We would like to give citizens the tools needed for them to transform words into action – those who attend will discover what they can do to contribute to and complement the work NGOs and other organisations are doing for the Maltese environment. The Front enjoys the participation of a wide spectrum of people, and takes a participatory approach in all its processes.’

The name of the seminar is derived from one of Friends of the Earth Malta’s projects, through which a mobile exhibition will be launched during the event. The exhibition showcases the work of ‘Nature Keepers’ around Europe – people who have dedicated their life to preserving and fighting for the natural environment in their communities. Malta has two ‘Nature Keepers’ represented in the exhibition, one of whom will be present to launch the event.

The workshops being offered are:

1. An Introduction to MEPA Processes

2. The relationship between sustainable agriculture and rural development

3. Natura 2000 sites, Outside Development Zones (ODZ), National and Natural parks – is designation protection?

4. Structure Planning versus Spatial Planning – How to bring Nature into Urban Spaces

5. Managing of Water Resources

In order to participate please fill-in the Google Form. Attendance is by registration only and places are limited.

For more information visit the Facebook event page