Ta' Cenc cliffs proposed for Natura 2000 protection

Ta' Cenc cliffs, an important breeding ground for protected birds, has been proposed to the EU for conservation under the EU's Natura 2000 framework, along with most of Malta and Gozo's cliff areas.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority yesterday announced the sites it has proposed to the EU.

The areas earmarked for protection include marine and land areas accounting for about 12.6 per cent of the Maltese islands. As a member state, Malta is in duty bound to submit sites for Natura 2000 protection under the EU Habitats Directive, which is intended to protect natural environments that support wild flora and fauna, and under the EU Wild Birds Directive which focuses on the conservation of birds.

Controversy erupted when Ta' Cenc did not feature in the first batch of Natura 2000 sites submitted in 2004. Since then the EU has been made aware of the fact that the cliffs at Ta' Cenc would be included in the batch announced yesterday.

A spokesman for the EU Commission recently told The Times the Commission expected that land at Ta' Cenc to be included in the Natura 2000 framework would be more than the government was proposing. When asked why the large garigue area behind the cliffs was left out, Mepa's technical officials at the press conference said that studies are ongoing in a number of areas and that more sites might follow in future.

The EU Commission had said it would be submitting its opinion on the matter towards the end of the year.

The areas chosen include Il-Ballut ta' Marsaxlokk, Il-Qortin tal-Magun and Ramla il-Hamra, both in Gozo, Ghar Dalam, Ghar ta' L-Iburdan in Rabat and a marine area off Ghajn Tuffieha, in the stretch between Rdum Majjiesa and Ras ir-Raheb.

The proposals also include part of the southwestern cliff areas in Malta and Gozo, including the Ta' Cenc area.

The authority's director general, Godwin Cassar, said the management of the areas would be discussed with the stakeholders: NGOs, farmers and hunters.

The idea is not for these sites to be "no go areas", he insisted, but rather that they be managed in a sustainable way and in a way that people can appreciate.

The sites will also be discussed at a bio-geographic seminar organised by the EU in which Mepa is set to take part.