Landform loss and its effect on health and well-being : the collapse of the Azure Window (Gozo) and the resultant reactions of the media and the Maltese community

Abstract

This study describes the natural geomorphological cycle which characterised the birth, evolution and eventual collapse of an iconic sea arch: the Azure Window in Dwejra, Gozo. In describing the sudden loss event of this landform—which happened on 8th March 2017—this study also investigates the reactions of the media and the Maltese community within a week following the event. This chapter demonstrates how sudden changes in the coastal environment may impact on the well-being of people. Few studies to date have analysed how the loss of a landform may impact on the health and well-being of individuals, especially if such a landform loss occurs as a sudden unexpected event. The aftermath of the Azure Window collapse provided strong evidence about how a public landform may evoke both collective emotions and personal memories. This qualitative study also draws on the reactions expressed by the local and international media, which propagated and reinforced the experience of loss, particularly through social media. The therapeutic qualities linked to the Azure Window evoked a range of emotions which testify the attachment felt towards the landform. However, it also fuelled the frequent debate about whether to accept and respect the inevitable cycles of landform change or, alternatively, to resort to hard invasive measures to arrest or slow down such inexorable natural changes. The event reawakened a collective desire to be in contact with natural landscapes and brought forth calls for more preservation and protection of these dynamic landforms.