Grants
Community Agency & Action
Paving Paradise
€10,000 awarded
Grantees: Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation
Project duration: February – August 2026
The Challenge
Malta is Europe’s smallest and most densely populated EU member state, yet it is experiencing some of the most rapid land conversion on the continent. Agricultural land, coastal dunes, and even Natura 2000 sites are increasingly being replaced by residential, commercial, and tourism developments.
Despite the EU’s commitment to achieve no net land take by 2050, Malta was excluded from the Green to Grey investigation, leaving the country without a comprehensive, data-driven overview of land take and habitat loss.
The Solution
Amphora Media, the non-profit investigative journalism platform of The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, aims to close this gap by producing the first independent, evidence-based investigation into land take and habitat loss in Malta.
This project will deliver independent, data-driven insight into how development pressures are reshaping Malta’s landscapes, ecosystems, and agricultural viability.
“Amphora Media will produce the first independent, evidence-based investigation into how rapid land conversion is reshaping Malta’s landscapes, ecosystems and agricultural land. We hope that this project empowers policymakers and communities to make informed decisions for a sustainable future.”
– Martina Urso, Lead Operations Officer