No date has been set yet for an 11km stretch off the north west coast of Malta to be declared a marine protected area, The Times has learned.
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority said on March 12 this year that it was planning to announce the setting up of the marine protected area (MPA) by the end of last month.
The MPA will stretch from Rdum Majjiesa to Ras ir-Raheb.
During a Mepa public consultation seminar held on March 12, Mepa had announced that once the MPA was declared, human activities there would be controlled to mitigate all negative impact.
The area, which includes several beaches, among them Fomm ir-Rih, Gnejna, tal-Qarraba and Ghajn Tuffieha, is characterised by boulder screes and cliffs.
The sea along this coast harbours habitats and fauna that are earmarked as 'strictly protected animal species' according to the Bern Convention.
Among these is the long-snouted sea horse (ziemel tal-bahar); the violet star-fish (stilla l-hamra kbira); star coral (qroll tad-dell); noble pen shell (nakkra tal-harira) and date mussel (tamra).
The area will be delineated into zones and monitored regularly to keep off poachers and other unwelcome visitors.
The MPA is a Regional Project for the Development of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas in the Mediterranean Region (MedMPA) and is financially supported by the European Commission.
The project is being coordinated by RAC/SPA while Mepa and ICRAM Italy are project partners.
RAC/SPA, which stands for Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas, is the Mediterranean Action Plan centre in Tunis dealing with conservation issues. Its brief is to assist the contracting parties of the Barcelona Convention in the setting up and conservation of marine protected areas.
On the other hand, ICRAM is the Istituto Centrale per la Ricerca Scientifica e tecnologica Applicata al Mare which carries out research and provides technical support and sustainable use of marine biological resources and fisheries.
According to a spokesman for the Environment Ministry, the consultants from ICRAM have just finished the draft management plans in Italian.
The plans are being translated into English by RAC/SPA. Moreover, a number of stakeholders had requested clarifications of the idea. Mepa had two meetings with stakeholders at Gnejna, and with other stakeholders on an individual basis.
The marine conservation area will be marked with buoys so that anybody, on land and at sea as well as divers, will be able to know exactly the delineation of the area, the spokesman said.
Asked whether spear guns would be allowed, a Mepa spokesman said it was not possible to say as yet because "the management plan for this has not been finalised".
What distinguishes the planned MPA from the protection of Filfla is that while at Filfla the protection is a one-mile no berthing zone, the protected area in the north west of Malta will be "a zone planned according to studies carried out and that the area will be managed according to a management plan," the Mepa spokesman said.
The area will be zoned into four levels: no entry - no take; entry - no take (guided access); entry - no take (free access); and entry - take (subject to buffer zone provisions).
The underlying thrust of an intensive study of the area published last year and called Zoning Proposal for the Marine Protected area from Rdum Majjiesa to Ras ir-Raheb Cave was the conservation of protected and endangered species by eliminating dynamite fishing and fishing with underwater compressors in relation to shell fish.
The study, however, points out that bathing, snorkelling, scuba diving and fishing will be allowed under certain specific controls.
The study notes that no distinction is made between professional and recreational fishing in Malta adding that "gear is often lost, particularly nets abandoned on the seabed, causing serious impacts on fish fauna and constituting a hazard for divers".
The aim behind the controls will be to apply a sustainable level of use; an increase and transfer of scientific knowledge; and the protection and restoration of populations of species of commercial interest.
The report goes on to state that there will be control of the main exploited fish species; by monitoring several times a year the catches brought ashore by boats operating in the area in order to assess the size of the catch, the fishing process and the size of the fish.
Other aims behind this planning will be the building of an awareness among fishermen in favour of applying a code of conduct on sustainable fishing.
The study called for an education campaign among fishermen, divers and restaurant owners to make them more aware of the harm caused by the taking of specimens and fishing in the area and to return species caught in nets.
The study suggested the identification of possible sources of stress such as discharges into the sea, fishing activities and human presence and possible solutions; the elaboration of a monitoring plan; the restoration of areas where regression of Posidonia has been recorded due to anchoring, increased nutrients and fine sediment and the possible release of fuels from bunkering zones; and the monitoring of Posidonia to avoid colonisation by competitive species.
Posidonia oceanica, a Mediterranean endemic species, is one of the best-known as well as most endangered plants in the Mediterranean sea. It is a flowering plant that looks like grass.
The meadows of Posidonia oceanica are of great importance for the marine ecosystem not only because they produce oxygen and organic substances but also because an infinite number of marine organisms depend on such meadows for their diet, habitat and shelter.
The report bearing the names of the United Nations Environment Programme, the Mediterranean Action Plan, RAC/SPA and ICRAM is based on research conducted within the framework of the Coastal Area Management Programme with the addition of information gathered by Prasseda Grech, Konrad Pirotta and Patrick J. Schembri.
MPA a 'long felt need'
Nature Trust said it warmly welcomed plans for the designation of a marine protected area, saying the need for it had long been felt.
Annalise Falzon, secretary of the conservation committee of Nature Trust, said the site selected was truly deserving protection and adequate environmental management which would protect it from the pressures it has been subjected to over the years.
"In principle, we agree with the measures proposed for setting up a zoning system but we feel that the management strategy should include extensive details regarding enforcement, policing, and financing of the MPA as otherwise such a project can neither be a success nor will it be sustainable," Ms Falzon said.
The area should have a pollution control strategy and contingency planning in case of emergencies caused by oil spills, bearing in mind that an area close by is used for the anchoring of large ships.
The educational aspect was also of extreme importance and the plan should consider how to deal with this aspect in order to allow time for the system to be accepted and understood by the public.
A visitor centre that would include a permanent exhibition illustrating the aim behind the protected area and how users could benefit from this project also ought to be put in place.
The exhibition could also serve as a virtual tour of the place, especially for visitors who might not have enough time to directly appreciate the richness of the area.
"All stakeholders must feel involved in this project for it to be a success. The heritage aspect should be emphasised, rather than the restrictive legal approach."
Ms Falzon asked if any surveys had been conducted among the users of the site in order to be able to gauge their opinion.
She suggested that activities such as sea watching - guided snorkelling tours - could be organised for the warmer months.
Guided underwater or snorkelling visits or even guided walks on land along the coast could be a source of revenue to sustain the project.
Illegal developments and inaccessible areas along the coast should also be investigated and tackled accordingly. Active conservation of the sandy beaches in the area - which did not mean beach replenishment - and restoration of any remnants of sand dune habitats such as the one at Gnejna should also form part of the project to create a more sustainable and harmonious land-sea interaction.
Underwater protection of habitats should be well mirrored above sea level, especially as this was the part which was the most under pressure and also best appreciated.
"The use of spear guns should be banned in all the MPA," Ms Falzon said.