Pembroke and its terrain

The popular recreational area of Pembroke is a blend of garrigue and rocky steppe formed from a mosaic of shallow karstic terrain and deep formations.

This site is one of Malta’s richest garrigue areas, housing a vast array of threatened and critically endangered groups of organisms. This Natura 2000 site also houses the only known population of the spiny burnet (plant) and some of the finest populations in the world of the endemic Maltese spider orchid.

The garrigue at Pembroke is characterised by the shrubby kidney vetch and Mediterranean thyme. A number of endemic species, that is species which are found only in the Maltese islands, are also present within this site such as the Maltese dwarf garlic and sea lavender species, as are some important rainwater rock-pools which support a number of rare species of flora and fauna.

Apart from being an area of ecological value, Pembroke also embraces military heritage and the first known buildings in the area of the town date back to the time of the Knights of the Order of St John.

This Natura 2000 site will be subject to the preparation of a management plan and/or legislation in the near future, as part of an EU-funded project that Mepa is undertaking for the management planning all the terrestrial Natura 2000 sites of the Maltese islands.