Mistra, including the bay and the valley, has been included in the list of EU protected sites approved by the EU executive.

This means that the whole area will have to be protected by MEPA according to strict EU directives. Activities carried out within it must be sustainable and in harmony with the natural environment.

Commission sources told The Times/timesofmalta.com that development in Special Conservation Areas (SAC's) is restricted to specific and limited purposes particularly for agriculture, fisheries and forestry needs.

"The Mistra area, known in technical terms as ‘il-Qala tal-Mistra' forms part of the SPA area approved by the Commission known as ‘Ix-Xaghra tal-Qortin'. The Maltese government proposed the area and after our analysis we have added it to the EU's Natura 2000 network."

According to information sent by MEPA to the European Commission, Mistra has features of ecological importance and European value which must be safeguarded.

"The pebble beach at Il-Qala tal-Mistra is covered by Posedonia banquettes, which develop during the winter months due to Posedonia beds found in the bay,'"MEPA's technical report states.

"The saline marshland (at Wied tal-Mistra) is an important habitat in the local context due to the halophilic community of plant and animal species it supports. The very rare Lotus preslii is also present in the area. These species are either only known from this valley or else have a limited distribution in the Maltese islands."

A site may be proposed as a candidate Natura 2000 site when it supports natural habitat types and habitats of species of community interest. The natural habitats and species that are listed in the annexes of the EU Habitats Directive include vulnerable, rare and endangered habitats and species.