One World... Biodiversity

What is the status of biodiversity according to the State of the Enviornment Report?
Many rare and indigenous species are threatened and continue to decline.

The main threats to Malta's biodiversity are development in rural and marine areas, the introduction of alien (non-native) species that may compete with native biodiversity, and the exploitation of wildlife.

An enhanced legal framework has been put in place to ensure the protection of ecologically important sites in the Maltese islands, including marine protected areas. Maltese candidate sites submitted for the EU Natura 2000 network of protected areas now cover approximately 12.5 per cent of Malta's land area.

Effective management of protected areas has begun, with four management plans approved, covering 1.3 per cent of Malta's special areas of conservation. However this process needs to be significantly accelerated in order for Malta to reach its target of halting loss of biodiversity by 2010. There is also need for regular monitoring and enforcement, as well as communication, education and public awareness programmes.

The State of the Environment Report 2005 is a Mepa publication available on www.mepa.org.mt.