Sufficiency of designations for terrestrial Natura 2000 areas

How sufficient are Malta’s designations for terrestrial Natura 2000 sites?

A number of Malta’s protected sites form part of the EU network of protected areas, known as the Natura 2000 network, covering 13.3 per cent of the land area.

EU agreements require member states to propose sites that afford protection to habitats and species listed in the annexes of the relevant EU legislation.

The European Commission hence assesses the sufficiency of the designated sites to afford such protection.

In 2008 (latest available data) the sufficiency for the designation of terrestrial Natura 2000 sites under the EC Habitats Directive for Malta was of 92.6 per cent. This is considered good status when compared to other member states: the EU average was 84.2 per cent in that year.

For more information see The Environment Report Indicators 2009 at http://www.mepa.org.mt/teri2009