Julian Manduca (2 July 1958 – 17 May 2005) was one of the foremost environmentalists in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. He was part of the management team of an ethical trade organisation and consultant editor with liberal and pro-environment newspaper '' MaltaToday''. A former Friends of the Earth Malta activist, Manduca never feared to express his concerns in a country where the

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

has eaten away most of the natural terrain, criticising adverse political decisions that favoured building magnates rather than the silent countryside. Active with the Maltese Green Party ''

Alternattiva Demokratika Democratic Alternative ( mt, Alternattiva Demokratika), sometimes referred to as AD – The Green Party, was a green political party in Malta. The party was initially founded by a coalition of former Labour Party members and environmental acti ...

'', in 1992 he chained himself with fourteen others at the gates of the

Auberge de Castille The Auberge de Castille ( mt, Berġa ta' Kastilja) is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. The auberge is located at Castile Place, close to Saint James Cavalier, the Malta Stock Exchange, and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. It sits at the highest poin ...

, the Maltese Premier's office, in protest against Malta's shameful electoral system due to its 16% threshold.

remains the only

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

country with only two parties represented in parliament. Nicknamed Choppy, he was known for his commitment to the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

Film Club. He was married to German actress Irene Christ. In 2002, together with Christ, he co-founded the theatrical group Actinghouse Productions.Actinghouse Productions
/ref> Manduca died suddenly on 17 May 2005 in

. His loss was the second in a short spell amongst committed Maltese environmentalists, following the demise of Greenpeace activist

Maggie Borg Maggie Borg (1952–2004) was a Maltese activist for environmental and social rights. Environmental activist Maggie Borg was a prominent Maltese environmentalist. She worked for Friends of the Earth (Malta) anGreenpeace Mediterranean Her main ob ...

. Maltese rock band Dripht dedicated their album ''Global Warning'' to both environmentalists. His drive, honesty, openness and commitment have inspired many other

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

environmentalists to carry on the crusade against over development on the Maltese Islands. In 2006 ''

Malta Today ''MaltaToday'' is a twice-weekly English language newspaper published in Malta. Its first edition was published in 1999, and started out as a Friday newspaper. History ''MaltaToday'' was first published on Friday, 19 November 1999. It was edi ...

'' launched The Julian Manduca Award, for cultural, literary and environmental endeavours. These awards went to

Friends of the Earth (Malta) Moviment għall-Ambjent, Friends of the Earth Malta (founded 1985), formerly known as Żgħażagħ għall-Ambjent, is a committee of environmental activists in Malta. The group was first set up as an umbrella organisation for various youth and envi ...

Walter Micallef Walter Micallef (born 24 October 1955) is a leading Maltese singer songwriter, born in the central Maltese town of Birkirkara. He has composed well over a hundred songs in Maltese. Childhood He spent his childhood in Birkirkara when his family ...

and

Karl Schembri Karl Schembri (born in 1978 in Malta) is a Maltese author, journalist and humanitarian. Schembri also occupied the post of News Editor and Deputy Editor at ''Malta Today''. He started working in journalism with ''In-Nazzjon'' and ''Il-Mument'' in ...

References

Maltese environmentalists 1958 births 2005 deaths {{Malta-bio-stub