By ALBERT FENECH salina46af@gmail.com
Established by the EU Commission, Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network of its kind in the world. Its mission is to monitor protected areas throughout Europe and to ensure a stable and protected haven for valuable threatened species and natural habitats.
Natura 2000 sites throughout the EU cover 20% of the total land territory and 10% of its marine territory as it stretches throughout the 27 Member Countries. Aiming to ensure the long-term survival of species and habitats, the sites are listed under the Birds Directive or the Habitats Directive.
Contrary to some concepts, the sites are not restricted reservations, although a number are privately owned. The sites are open to the public but the relative authorities are urged to ensure the public does not damage the environment or effect detrimental environmental changes to suit their own preferences.
37 terrestrial sites in Malta
Currently there are 37 terrestrial Natura 2000 sites designated in the Maltese Islands. The consideration of site management for such sites emanates from a legal requirement that these are monitored and regulated by the Environmental and Resources Authority. The sites include gardens, salt pans, cliffs and caves, inland seas, bays and beaches. The 37 land sites cover 45 square kilometres, that is, 15.5% of the Maltese Islands’ land area.
There are also five marine sites. These, however, only cover 1.63% of the vast territorial waters of the islands which stretch to 11,672 kilometres squared.
For those visiting in these summer months of wonderful weather I am listing some of the sites. Please understand that besides natural habitat to be enjoyed there are no actual site monuments to be viewed but just the inner thrill of being in an area that has remained untouched for hundreds of years and hopefully will remain so for many more years to follow.
For more information on these management plans, please contact biodiversity.nature@era.org.mt
SOME OF THE SITES
The sites I selected for peace, tranquillity and environmental wonder are:
(a) Il-Ballut tal-Wardija – a number of Malta’s oldest living trees – oak trees aged between 500 and 900 years old – live in this green area.
(b) Il-Maqluba (limits of Qrendi) – Perhaps the Maltese islands’ best known national monument, the Il-Maqluba area primarily consists of a large sinkhole into which a village subsided.
(c) Is-Salini – Seawater meets and mixes with rainwater at Salini, one of the Maltese islands’ largest existing marshlands with salt pans producing also potable water.
(d) Ghar Dalam – The deepest parts of this prehistoric cave are home to an endemic isopod known as Armadilidium ghardalamensis with underground links to the North African coast.
(e) Ghadira and surrounds This area is home to a huge variety of vastly different habitats: from sand dunes and piles, to a small salt-marsh and a brackish wetland, to mention a few.
(f) Filfla and its surrounding islands is easily the most isolated islet in the Maltese archipelago, Filfla is used by many bird species as a breeding site.
(g) Buskett and Girgenti This beloved green area is home to not one, not two, but three valley systems: Wied l-Isqof, Wied il-Luq, and Wied il-Girgenti.
(h) St Paul’s Islands (Selmunett) These islands were declared Nature Reserves in 1993, but before that, they were temporarily used for agricultural purposes.
(i) Cliffs of Malta: Ir-Ramla tac-Cirkewwa, Ponta ta’ Benghajsa, Ix-Xaqqa to Wied Moqbol, Ras il-Pellegrin to Xaqqa Covering practically all the cliffs of Malta’s west coast, these areas house a number of endangered and endemic species of flora. Two species of sea-birds – Cory’s Shearwater and Yelkouan Shearwater – are known to have made these cliffs their home. The cliffs are known to be important rest and feeding areas for migratory and wintering bird species.
(j) L-Ghar tal-Iburdan and surrounding areas This lesser-known cave in Rabat is home to a community of bats.
As common humanity these are areas we have to cling to until the end of time because these have formed our lives for thousands of years, a heritage we must cling to and the boasts we have to extend to foreigners even though we are a small country.
On the marine side the capacity is enormous but unfortunately most is beyond Malta’s possible control – but that is a separate issue.
ALBERT FENECH
salina46af@gmail.com
