Threatened habitats as a criterion for selecting coastal protected areas in the Maltese Islands

Recognising that the seas is one of the Maltese Islands main resources, recent environmental protection legislation pays particular attention to the coastal zone and shallow seas off the islands. Under this legislation, the terrestrial areas of three islands and a number of coastal sites, have been declared nature reserves. However, at present there are no marine protected areas within Maltese territory. Marine activates are restricted in certain sea areas round the Maltese Islands, but this is for reasons of security. One factor hindering the establishment of marine protected areas is lack of knowledge as to which ecosystems are in need of protection. In order to address this deficiency, a survey was carried out to identify coastal and shallow water habitats which are threatened. The results of the survey are summarised below. For each habitat type recognised as in need of protection, status, exploitation and threats are reported upon in the order.
peer-reviewed