Footpath through the marina

The International Year of Eco-Tourism is about to end after a well-publicised launch at the beginning of the year and a press conference at Buskett bird sanctuary.

To be fair, there were competitions, a page dedicated to eco-tourism in Air Malta's inflight magazine and a few other activities. Perhaps the most effective of these was the launch by Malta Tourism Authority of an eco-certification scheme for hotels. Meanwhile Malta's Green Party wants to see existing hotels upgraded rather than new ones built.

At an international seminar on ecotourism in coastal areas a member of the Tourism Ministry's co-ordinating committee was not so sure the objectives had been reached. The aim of ecotourism is to contribute to the conservation of plants, animals and habitats through learning in natural areas while sustaining the well being of local people and encouraging their participation.

"The extent to which we have achieved this is a bit vague," said conservation biologist and researcher Dr Adriana Vella.

Awarded by the Tourism Ministry for her work in promoting conservation research, Dr Vella speaks out stridently in support of Malta's rich marine biodiversity - the range of species making up our various coastal ecosystems. She insists that the unprecedented stress on marine biodiversity from sea sports, fish farms and coastal developments such as hotels and marinas can no longer be ignored. She adds "You can't have planning if you don't have detailed information about the impact on biodiversity."

Managing marine tourism

Visitors sometimes disturb feeding and breeding habits of organisms. Some species are much more vulnerable than others. We must be able to determine where losses are acceptable and where not. The removal of certain keystone species means other species will disappear too.

Posidonia sea grass is completely protected on paper but what action is being taken to protect it? Rocky bay habitats must be respected while sandy bays are not to be considered devoid of life as they are populated by burrowing organisms. To what extent are sea surface activities - jet skis, bird hunting, power boats - being controlled? More care has to be given to collectibles such as shells and corals. People on boats need to know how to react to dolphins, keeping a distance and letting the dolphins choose to approach the boat.

We have whole lists of critically endangered marine species that need protection but are not getting it. Will they be there in a couple of years time or is the coastal environment changing so fast that they cannot keep up?

Measures to increase the resistance of sensitive sites can include regulating the amount of time allowed for visits and a reduction on the number of visitors. Promoting unregulated ecotourism could lead to inappropriate mass tourism in ecologically sensitive areas which would not live up to the strain for long before collapsing.

Dr Vella quoted a survey of 300 tourists who visited Malta in the autumn showing that 54 per cent were worried about debris and plastic in the sea while 70 per cent were worried about degradation in bays. Also "very distressing to tourists" was the amount of rubbish in the sand, especially cigarette butts.

Ecotourists go to Wales

One-third of the coastline of England and Wales is designated heritage coast with the aim of preserving areas of outstanding natural scenic beauty for future generations.

The Glamorgan Heritage Coast, one of 45 such sites, started off as a pilot project in the early Seventies. Today, with the help of the American organisation Earthwatch, the cliff and dunes are a showcase of problems and solutions for coastal management.

Ecotourists from the US pay £2,000 for a two-week course on beach management and volunteer their help to design effective beach signs, monitor dune vegetation and carry out questionnaires for beach users.

Speaking on eco-management of beaches in Wales, Dr Cliff Nelson noted: "Without sustainable management we will destroy the very assets that attract tourists in the first place." He pointed to how the coast in Spain had been damaged by development and tourism in the area had suffered.

Dr Nelson is coastal manager employed by the Welsh Tourist Board for Glamorgan. Award systems for beaches are proving to be useful tools for beach management. However it was found that beach award schemes such as the Blue Flag are not suitable for rural tourism since they were designed more for resort beaches. The Green Coast award provides more flexibility.

In some cases the road network is kept to a moderate scale to limit tourist influx which might negatively impact sensitive beaches. Small, picturesque bays should not be overwhelmed by cafes, toilets, lifeguards, etc., but best left to show off their natural assets with a minimum of intervention. They often combine scenery with countryside activities such as agriculture. Dr Nelson advised local councils to hold competitions to get people to work together to improve beaches.

Footpaths and rights of way

Another way of protecting coastal landscapes and historic sites is the use of footpaths. The UK Ramblers Association has estimated that while £69 million is spent on maintaining footpaths the economic benefit reaped is estimated to be over £2 billion.

Right of way is a thorny issue in Malta which needs to be addressed. Coastal footpaths remain unofficial with no legal status. They are largely tolerated by landowners but sometimes barred. Locally acceptable incentive schemes need to be devised to encourage landowners to co-operate.

The Mediterranean Centre for Insular Coastal Dynamics headed by Anton Micallef has identified a pilot site for developing a walk at San Dimitri, Gozo. The area offers stunning geology and is easily accessible by bus route. The Malta Tourism Authority, MEPA and the Ministry for Gozo are being brought in on the project to help identify who owns the land and set up park management schemes. They also need to address issues of concern such as motor bikes, trapping hides and dumping.

Information material must be made available to walkers. The booklets MTA has published so far are mostly walks on existing roadways and do not really cover footpaths. Mr Micallef speaks of the need to map our national walking resources and looks forward to the drafting of a national network of footpaths.

The Malta Tourism Authority has put forward proposals to reposition Gozo as an eco-destination. Ecotourism destinations have to deliver what they promise - relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated areas. Kevin Fsadni of the MTA's Product and Planning Division said: "It's important to avoid green washing".

Plans for four sandy beaches

There should be one manager in charge of the beach. Instead we have seven or eight authorities on a single beach. The local council hasn't got the funds to employ a full-time manager. The MTA is hopeful that the Works Division will help by appointing managers for coastal footpaths.

The authority also has plans to carry out beach nourishment projects at Balluta, Xemxija, Xlendi and Marsalforn depending on the success of the pilot project at St George's Bay. Twelve years have gone by since the first call for Marine Conservation Areas to be set up. MEPA is looking at Dwejra and a stretch of North Gozo coastline and an area off Pembroke. The MTA also favours Cirkewwa as a candidate for conservation measures and is working with MEPA to achieve this. The tourism authority is currently working on tree planting under the guidance of the Gaia Foundation based at Ghajn Tuffieha

Gaia, organisers of the seminar through the help of a European LIFE programme, seeks to attract those tourists who are less likely to leave an impact on the environment. European Union member states have committed themselves to halt the loss of biodiversity before 2010 and develop a strategy for the protection and the conservation of the marine environment.

The tree and plant nursery just above Golden Bay grows indigenous species for different types of habitat - shrubby maquis, rocky garigue and woodland trees. In future Gaia hopes to be involved in the rehabilitation of landfills, supplying local trees from its nursery. The foundation is working with MEPA to gradually replace the alien acacia trees planted there which do not suit the environment well.

Energy generation from renewable sources of either sun or wind is expected to come on line at Ghajn Tuffieha in the next few months. Gaia is working with the Institute for Energy Technology and currently studying the possibility of using wind turbines as a demonstration project.

Turkish marina warning for Gozo

Turkey's 7,200-km coastline boasts 22 marinas. From an engineering standpoint, while marinas may be seen as potential gateways to ecotourism and fulfil all the technical requirements, the environment can suffer and local people end up feeling secondary.

"Marinas, if planned by considering environmental issues together with the technical engineering factors, often bring life and colour to a coastal area and provide a valuable economic asset to the local community. In cases, not appropriate environmentally, this development may create severe problems of environmental pollution and may be harmful for people and fisheries."

Engineer Aysen Ergin, familiar with coastal dynamics and structures in her work which includes building marinas, presented some examples of marinas in Turkey. Gocek Club Marina is set in a beautiful pine forest but pollution is a major issue. "There are laws and regulations but the controlling mechanism doesn't work. Floating piers would allow better circulation."

Another bad example of a Turkish marina showed how accretion or deposit of silt meant for the beach ended up trapped behind the long breakwater arm. As a result the beach was eroded.

With the controversial Hondoq ir-Rummien project description statement in the early stages of being drafted the developers are floating the concept of "replenishing" the sandy bay.

What they will never admit is that this is a short term cover up for when the beach begins to show permanent signs of erosion as a result of the marina construction, a negative future impact of which they are well aware. Who will pay for costly replacement of continuously washed away sand year after year on a badly eroding post-construction beach?

Beach renourishment might be acceptable on the four bays earmarked by MTA although it will be difficult to avoid some environmental impact. But "beach replenishment", as the developers like to call it, may not prove to be sufficiently effective or long-lasting damage control once a naturally formed popular bathing bay has been destroyed for good. Beach replenishment is not a feasible solution. It will not save Hondoq ir-Rummien Bay on the exposed and steeply sloping seabed in the fast moving Comino South Channel.