[attach id=253315 size="medium"]Għajnsielem’s Valley runs through the village and down to the sea. Measures to improve connectivity in Natura 2000 areas will face challenges to integrate different land uses and secure the locality’s identity.[/attach]
Managing an area which is home to wildlife while protecting natural habitats takes some dedication. As we have seen, it is not enough to declare an area protected without having the right structures in place to ensure that this will happen.
A recent example is the blackened ground close to a Natura 2000 site at Għajn Tuffieħa where a fireworks display held last month was set up too close to the protected area. Noise pollution from high-tech sound equipment has long been another issue in protected areas, especially in coastal zones where beach parties are held.
Malta can boast at least two successful examples of best practice when it comes to projects in Natura 2000 sites, run by Birdlife and Nature Trust.
Reversing a decline in the seabird population of Yelkouan Shearwaters at Mellieha Bay cliffs has been the aim of the Madonna tal-Rdum project. (This bird, which lives most of its life at sea, is known as ‘Windchaser’ in the Turkish language.)
Even in this small community, with countryside nearby, it was important to villagers to bring greens space into the village
The other project is at Dwejra, Gozo, where activities have been organised to increase awareness on the problem of illegal fly-tipping and the importance of containing light pollution. The latter is important for another distinct type of seabird nesting in the area, the Cory’s Shearwater. These shearwaters only venture to land on moonless nights and nest in the nearby cliffs to rear their young.
Reflecting the origins of the European network, these showcase projects demonstrate how two directives (Birds, 1979, and Habitats, 1992) are the basis for all Natura 2000 sites. In line with the relative directives, special areas of protection (Birds Directive – Special Protection Areas) and conservation (Habitats Directive – Special Areas of Conservation) were set up in line with the relative directives.
Seen as the EU’s primary tool in the fight to conserve Europe’s rich biodiversity, the Natura 2000 network offers attractive spaces to explore and opportunities to develop new economic activities based on these valuable natural assets when properly managed.
All EU member states contribute to the network of sites in a Europe-wide partnership from the Canary Islands to Crete, from Sicily to Finnish Lapland.
At a 2010 conference, the European Commission declared that implementing green infrastructure is “essential to mitigate fragmentation and unsustainable land use both within and outside Natura 2000 areas and to address the need for and multiple benefits of maintaining and restoring ecosystem services”.
Last year, a partnership of 12 regions from 10 European countries launched a green infrastructure network. The three-year project, co-funded by the Interreg IVC programme, is a response to the challenges of biodiversity conservation in Europe and to the loss of valuable ecosystems and their services.
This latest concept of green infrastructure places traditional biodiversity conservation within a broader policy framework.
At an April seminar in Gozo on management planning and communication measures for Natura 2000 sites, Green-infranet pro-ject co-ordinator Ingrid Henzen stressed the need for connectivity on all levels. The project is aimed at integrating natural areas with other land use objectives and relat-ing them to energy, transport, re-creation, agriculture and others.
In discussions leading up to the formulation of a national strategy it was recommended that green in-frastructure should connect Natura 2000 sites by developing eco-logical corridors and restoring degraded natural habitats to enhance connectivity.
On ecosystem services, Malta Environment and Planning Authority unit manager Darren Stevens said that the islands’ flat rocky areas (xagħri) were an ecosystem service that few appreciated, and their importance for the water table was underestimated.
“The bee,” he added, “is a green infranet organism… without it, we would not have any fruit.”
Natura 2000 is not just about birds and bees, but also other creatures such as Malta’s only carnivore – the weasel (ballotra) – and wild plants too. Rainwater pools that dry up in summer are also recognised in this area as a unique habitat in the Mediterranean region.
Member states are required to take measures to improve the connectivity inside and outside of the Natura 2000 areas. Development of hiking trails that can be maintained by local hikers confirms that the inhabitants are the real guardians of their surroundings as long as landscapes are recognised by law as being an essential component of peoples’ surroundings.
At the same seminar, a project to create a green infrastructure in the Conca Valley, Italy, was described by its co-ordinator Laura Punzo.
Għajnsielem mayor Francis Cauchi referred to the benefits that go hand in hand with biodiversity conservation such as cleaner, greener communities. The council is representing Malta in this three-year green infrastructure project.
The village of Għajnsielem is remarkable for having a valley running right through its main square. People who live there are very aware of it. Even in this small community, with countryside nearby, it was important to villagers to bring green spaces into the village and create a pathway linking the upper and lower valley.
There are now 34 terrestrial Natura 2000 sites in Malta. Environmental consultants Epsilon-Adi were brought in to define steps that could be taken to implement the council’s sustainable local action plan covering the period 2011 to 2016. The consultants are working on developing management plans for all sites.
Management plans must be up and running for land-based sites by next year (by 2017 for marine sites, not included in this initial project). The first of a number of public consultations is due to start this summer.
An eight-week awareness campaign aimed at engaging the community involved mailshots, radio slots and focus groups. Problems and possible improvements were looked at together in a vision-ing exercise that ended with an exhibition and workshop.
During preliminary consultations it was found that people of all ages and backgrounds had a wide knowledge of what they wanted, traditions, local knowledge and what had been lost. Within a guided process, they were keen to look at how to link the natural assets they had. A strong theme throughout was how to restore access to the countryside and coast without causing damage.
Priority actions have been developed out of this collaboration with the community, which has produced a wealth of information. A review at strategic and land use planning level is the next step to ease integration with the local development plan for Gozo.