Two EU-funded environmental projects involving the University’s International Oceans Institute – Malta Operational Centre (IOI-MOC) and other Maltese and Sicilian partners have recently been launched under the Italia-Malta programme 2007-2013, funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
The first project, entitled Calypso, involves the setting up of a system of high-frequency radar installations on the northern shores of Malta and southern Sicilian shores to record surface sea currents in the channel between Malta and Sicily in real-time and updated on an hourly basis.
The data collected by the system will help to improve the authorities’ ability to intervene in case of an oil spill, as well as provide for better security, safer navigation, more accurate weather and marine forecasts, monitoring of currents in critical areas such as ports, surveillance, search and rescue and better management of the sea between Malta and Sicily.
The project was conceived and developed by IOI-MOC director Aldo Drago, and involves eight partners, including public authorities, with the IOI-MOC as the lead partner.
For further information on the project visit www.capemalta.net/news/OceanTidings/20110130_Calypso.
The second project, entitled Panacea, aims to promote the sound scientific management of biodiversity in six marine protected areas (MPAs) in Sicily and Malta.
The six MPAs are Rdum Majjiesa in Malta and Dwejra in Gozo, Plemmirio in Syracuse, Sicily, Lampedusa, Isola delle Femmine, and Ustica.
Environmental educational centres will be set up and codes of best practice formulated for each of the MPAs. The centres will provide visitors an educational and entertaining overview of the MPAs’ living resources through documentaries, interactive tools, permanent exhibitions and models, ecological laboratories, scientific and popular science manuals and so forth.
As part of the same project, an ecological model will be developed for the Maltese coastal area.
The project, which is led by the province of Syracuse, has five partners, including the IOI-MOC and San Lawrenz council. The Maltese contact person for the project is Alan Deidun at the IOI-MOC.