Filfla Nature Reserve Act (XV of 1988)

FILFLA NATURE RESERVE [CAP. 323. 1 CHAPTER 323 FILFLA NATURE RESERVE ACT To provide for the establishment of the Filfla Natural Reserve. (1st June, 1988)* Enacted by ACT XV of 1988. Short title.l. This Act may be cited as the Filfla Nature Reserve Act. Interpretation.2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires "flora and fauna" are to be construed as meaning all plants and animals, resident or migratory, species of which exist in the wild state on the Island of Filfla; "Minister" means the Minister responsible for the environment. Establishing Filfla as a nature reserve. 3. All the surface area of the Island of Filfla shall be a protected nature reserve. Prohibition of killing, etc., of flora and fauna from nature reserve. 4. The killing, capture, collection, trapping, maintaining in captivity, taxidermy, commercial exploitation, as well as picking and hunting of any species of flora and fauna in or from the Filfla nature reserve is prohibited: Provided that the Minister may remove such prohibition for the purpose of scientific study in particular cases. Access to nature reserve. 5. (1) Access to the Filfla nature reserve shall be by permission to be granted by the Minister for educational and scientific purposes. (2) In granting permission the Minister may impose such conditions as he may deem appropriate. (3) Members of the Police and the Armed Forces of Malta shall have access to the Filfla nature reserve for the purposes of defence and security, rescue operations and the control of smuggling and the investigation of crimes. Offences and penalties. 6. Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of this Act or any condition of a permission granted under the last preceding section, shall be liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to a fine (multa) not exceeding five hundred liri or to both such imprisonment and fine. *See subsection (2) of section 1 of the Act as originally enacted, which subsection has been omitted under the Statute Law Revision Act, 1980.