YRE Competition 2023
2nd Place - Single Photo Reportage
11-25 years old

By Elizabeth Jade Pace and Zoe Zammit, Sacred Heart College Malta

Nature has an incredible ability to adapt and find a way to survive even in the most challenging conditions. However, this resilience often comes at a significant cost. Malta is an example of how rapid population growth, overdevelopment and loss of habitat have a negative impact on our lives and the islands biodiversity.  

(Malta has a rapidly growing population. Malta’s population grew from 417,432 in 2011 to 519,562 in 2021, that is roughly an increase of 25%. On a more worrying note, Eurostat figures show that between 2000 and 2021, construction activity in Malta shot up by an astronomical 330%. This is leading to the destruction of many natural habitats and rural areas in and around our towns and villages. It is crucial that we take action to protect and preserve the natural world before it is too late.