Wied il-Miżieb and Wied tax-Xaqrani, located along the Mellieħa ridge and within a Natura 2000 site, have been scheduled by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and added to the growing list of natural scheduled sites.
The authority said that the safeguarding and continuing protection of Malta’s biodiversity and natural heritage was high on its priorities and through this planning mechanism of scheduling, it was further safeguarding the wider landscape, geomorphological and ecological features of these two valley systems while it also soughtto complement the international designation these areas already carry.
Mepa spokesman Peter Gingell said:
“While the authority last month started an awareness campaign about biodiversity and the way the public can take action when it comes to safeguarding Malta’s biodiversity, it also keeps leading by example and continues to be proactive in the conservation and management of Malta’s habitats and species.”
"The scheduling of these two important valley systems in the North of Malta is testimony to this,” he said.
Two valley systems along the ridge support the largest natural population of the Maltese national tree (the sandarac gum tree) which has a very restricted distribution in the Maltese Islands.
This population is particularly important from a scientific perspective especially as very few such trees still survive in the wild.
Besides being found in Malta, the natural geographical range of this species is only limited to the south of Spain and north west Africa.
The locations supporting the sandarac gum tree populations have been given the highest level of protection, as a level 1 area of ecological importance and site of scientific importance.
Human intervention had to be kept to the barest minimum within these areas, whille physical development was prohibited. Such locations called for the protection of the identified features of scientific interest and appropriate management.
The level one areas are surrounded by stretches of garigue extending throughout the escarpment of the Mellieħa ridge.
The biotic communities and the karstic landscape that sustained them were protected as level two areas of ecological importance and sites of scientific interest. Within level two areas, human intervention wasstrictly controlled and physical development limited to the maintenance of already existing structures, and construction of minor amenities designed to enhance the educational and recreational use of the area.
The eastern and western sides of the scheduling boundary, representing he rest of the ridge and escarpment that bound by the arterial and local access roads, wereafforded a level three degree of protection. Within these areas, which provide an adequate buffer zone for the scheduling boundary, existing agricultural activities could continue whereas new physical development and conversion to agricultural use were subject to applicable rural policies.
Mellieħa ridge and escarpment, the two major valley systems, as well as the biotic communities therein, were the characteristic features of this landscape.
As a result, the entire boundary has also been scheduled as an area of high landscape value, an all-inclusive designation to further protect the integrity of the area. This area extended southwards of the scheduled boundary to include the series of sloping terraced fields that also contribute to the high scenic value of this area.