The Azure Window and the impact of natural hazards on natural heritage in Gozo, Malta
By Leonard Gournay
What is this story about?
The Azure Window, known among specialists for its scientific relevance, and famous worldwide, notably for having been a background landscape in which several movie productions were shot, was the most monumental limestone arch over the Maltese archipelago, and a national landmark cherished by the population.
As natural heritage, it had been subject to weather conditions and natural erosion since its appearance around the 19th century. Environmental process, enhanced by the lack of preservation policies from local powers, led to its collapse in March 2017. Its sudden disappearance triggered diverse reactions and responses from every stakeholder involved in this heritage in a direct or indirect manner.
Biography of the Azure window
The 35m high limestone arch was located on the north-west coast of the island of Gozo (Malta), in the zone of the Dwejra depression. This geographical area received numerous heritage nominations because of its general natural and scientific relevance: it constituted a great case study for geologists; additionally, the Azure Window was standing on its own two feet, as the most famous natural symbol in Malta. The site of Dwejra, covering an area of c. 87 hectares, was declared a Heritage Park in 2007, and had as well been defined as a Special Area of Conservation of the Natura 2000 programme in 2016. The Azure Window itself had been inscribed on the Tentative List for UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites in 1998, although it never received the status.
event-maltas-azure-window-collapses.
The Loss of the Azure window
Erosion is known to constitute the main environmental threat over natural limestone landmarks like the Azure Window. Professionals studied the arch and provided recommendations on how to best protect it. Environmental risks were assessed in high details: the study of the rock structure enabled the definition of its weaknesses and to predict the further developments of the Azure Window’s state. It was stated in 2013 that its collapse was ineluctable in the following decades.
Although entirely natural, the destructive process was accelerated by the absence of governmental policies to try to minimise the jeopardy on the structure. The few laws which were passed were rarely implemented to prevent further damage: in 2016 was stated, for security reasons, the interdiction of walking on the arch but we observed regular trespassers as well as, once, someone jumping into the water from the top, causing stone blocks to collapse. No real threat mitigation policy was put into place before the arch’s collapse: Worldwide, landscapes and landmarks are considered worthy of preservation, but we observe that this need for preservation is not necessarily met by actual decision-making.
Eventually, the Window collapsed on March 8, 2017 during a strong storm that overstressed the weakened structure. It started with the rupture of the underwater rock bases and continued with the fall of the main structure. The concurring weather conditions, a strong wind (reaching 35 knots), and powerful sea waves (up to 3m high) have been recognized as the main factors of the final damage.
Connected to an important historical and archaeological past, the Azure Window has always been considered a national landmark and a part of the cultural heritage of the country. In addition, the island has always financially strongly relied on tourism, and the zone of Dwejra is recognised as a main appeal for tourists coming to Malta. Its appearance in famous movie productions such as Clash of Titans (1982), or HBO’s series Game of Thrones (2011), increased its fame and kept attracting people, and deepened as well the link of the population to this natural heritage. The Azure Window was observed to be a place that was a direct function of people’s well-being and health, according to the concept of “therapeutic landscapes”. The effect of its disappearance on the Maltese population was obviously great. Indeed, not only the whole Maltese population was moved by this event, but countries worldwide mourned this day, as testified by the international media coverage (in the USA, China, over Europe, Australia…) following March 8, 2017.
Debating natural heritage preservation
Several projects or ideas were designed once the structure had disappeared, like Svetozar Andreev’s project of rebuilding the arch in a modern way: a metallic and glass structure that would have kept the initial shape of the Azure Window and enabled people to keep walking on its top. The project was then abandoned since it was considered to greatly damage Dwejra’s seabed. Malta’s population, answering surveys organized by the national newspapers, expressed in the great majority the desire to leave the site as it currently is, without any repair or replacement for the disappeared emblem. Some 3D reconstructions exist though, and provide us with a very thorough and exact knowledge of the arch’s structure prior to its collapse. Photogrammetry and 3D models have and continue to offer a wide range of possibilities to numerically preserve the arch.
This situation is related to a broader debate, about what stance to adopt in regard to natural heritage and the threats lying upon it: Should the stakeholders let natural events happen and destroy what is bound to be destroyed or protect it at all costs? This is a heavily debated point, where beliefs about heritage and nature preservation matter, as well as the actor’s differences of opinion. Generally opposed are the will and need to preserve what is perceived as heritage, and nature’s impact on everything which causes what could be qualified as “decay”. However, what is humanly perceived as decay is the mere evolution of a landscape created by natural processes. Therefore, it might be considered normal for a limestone structure, among other natural features, to appear, erode, and eventually collapse, as part of a unique natural cycle. This questions the limits of such considerations: what is “authorized” to be damaged by natural processes? In what way are tangible cultural heritage and natural heritage different? We wouldn’t let a heritage building disappear from natural threats, so does the key argument lie in the fact that heritage is man-made or not? The answer most probably lies in the context and the possibility of its preservation: if it is bound to disappear quickly, it might be better to accept it as a fact. The entanglement of the concepts of durability and preservation makes them delicate to approach.
Conclusion
The Azure Window’s collapse was caused by natural phenomena but enhanced by human-related factors. It fed the ongoing debate about whether to try to stop the ineluctible movement of nature or to just let it happen. If the event moved everyone who knew of it, it seems to have now been accepted as part of the normal cycle of fragile geological heritage. In the future, it will however be important to better manage and implement the preservation of the Dwejra Depression, to try to maintain it in the best possible state, as long as it is conceivable. The Azure Window’s early collapse could serve as a valuable lesson to better preserve the rest of the natural area for the upcoming years
Comments
Post a Comment