Citadel Insurance plc recently held a successful fund-raising activity together with its employees in support of Nature Trust Malta’s turtle conservation efforts. This initiative launched the Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy for 2021-22 which is focused on promoting cleaner and safer seas.
Over the past decade Citadel has fulfilled its CSR commitments through numerous activities including support for cultural events, heritage conservation and protection of the environment. Continuing this tradition, Citadel is now focusing on the marine environment as the seas around Malta become more populated with vessels and polluted including through the dumping of plastics. This latter factor is of particular threat to turtles in the seas around the Maltese Islands as they may mistake plastic bags for their primary prey, jellyfish, leading to fatal blockage in their gut. In their work to protect turtles, Nature Trust Malta (NTM) helps these reptiles when they swallow hooks, become trapped in ropes and wire, or are hit by boats.
Angela Tabone, Managing Director at Citadel Insurance plc, said: “Nature Trust Malta has worked tirelessly over decades to raise environmental awareness while at the same time taking many practical initiatives to protect and enhance Malta’s unique landscape and ecosystems. At Citadel we are committed to create a culture that is supportive towards our community and the environment. We recognise that the seas are important and we need to promote greater awareness to keep our seas sustainable and safe, vital for the marine world. In the coming months we aim to achieve this through our collaboration with Nature Trust Malta. We are pleased that our employees understand the importance of protecting our surrounding waters and are keen to promote our initiatives towards creating better awareness to protect sea life with special focus to vulnerable turtles.”
Vincent Attard, Executive President of Nature Trust Malta, said: “Malta’s biodiversity faces many challenges. We cannot afford to lose more natural habitats due to human impact, or else, our children will only be able to learn about our wonderful natural heritage from books and photos. We would like to thank Citadel Insurance and their employees for their donation which will help us continue our preservation efforts.”