Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Malta encourages active stakeholder collaboration for effective management of protected areas and promotes the value of biodiversity through a number of interactive educational and awareness-raising activities [ ] 152 Action on land and at sea Significant progress has been made in the context of awareness and educa- tional events to build momentum in the implementation of the manage- ment planning process for terrestrial protected areas, especially those forming part of the Natura 2000 Net- work. The Flora, Fauna and Natural Habitats Protection Regulations are the main legal frameworks that call for the protection and conservation of biodiversity, laying down provi- sions for the designation of protected sites. So far, 34 terrestrial sites have been designated to form part of the EU Natura 2000 network. As a party to the Convention on Biodiversity and through the imple- mentation of the national targets and measures in the country’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, Malta has undertaken diverse actions with the aim of achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Nation- al efforts range from conservation actions to maintain and restore species and habitats, to actions aimed at integrating biodiversity concerns in sectors that are beneficiaries of ecosystem services. Malta has 60 national sites des- ignated as Tree Protection Areas (TPAs), with the aim of protecting trees and woodlands. Some of these protect individual trees and small groups of trees of value as well as oth- er areas, to ensure the protection of rare and threatened trees that have a restricted native distribution in Mal- ta. Trees within a TPA are protected from activities and operations that may have an adverse impact on them, such as development. The country encourages active stakeholder collaboration for effective management of protected areas both on land and at sea, and promotes the value of biodiversity through a number of interactive educational and aware- ness-raising activities. Resources are continuously planned and mobilised to ensure that management plans and relevant actions are fully implemented. Another effective example of public awareness is the ‘BioSnippet Initiative’, designed to disseminate interesting information on local bio- diversity to educate the public, thus increasing its appreciation. Biodiver- sity tours in protected areas are held on a regular basis, whereby biodiver- sity experts from the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) provide free guided tours to selected areas of high natural value. In par- allel, ERA participates in a popular TV show, ‘Malta u lil Hinn Minnha’, during which ERA experts regularly present information on a selected protected area, highlighting Malta’s biodiversity and heritage in general. At a recent event, the declaration of two new national species further aid- ed public awareness of biodiversity. T he Maltese Islands support a variety of important and unique habitats and species. In view of this, Malta has designated various areas under national and European legislation and international multilateral environmental agreements. To date, Malta has 28.5 per cent (89.5 km 2 ) of its land area covered either by one or by multiple protective designations. Included in this is 13.5 per cent of land area forming part of the EU Natura 2000 Network of protected areas. In the marine realm, Malta has made considerable advances and, to date, has designated 29.9 per cent of Maltese waters (3,487 km 2 ) as marine protected areas. Għajn Tuffieħa, Mellieha, Malta Ferenc Horvath on Unsplash Malta