Coastal zone surveys of the Maltese Islands : onshore and offshore

Abstract

Since the 1960s, the rapid development of the international Law of the Sea has outstripped the capacity of most maritime states for developing and implementing policy. The delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which resulted from the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) brought about an extension of its area, within which the sate exercise control over all resources and economic activities. At the same time as the jurisdiction of the state has encroached seawards, there has been a significant increase in the range of opportunities for the use of the offshore zone. Until now, the most common approach to managing Malta's marine and coastal resources has been to regulate activities. Thus, regulations concerning constructions on the foreshore, transport of sand, recreational activities on the coast, commercial fishing, control of pollution, shipping and other related marine activities exist. These regulations are not sufficient to safeguard marine resources or to ensure maximal sustainable use. Some regulations are outdated, others are not enforced and different sets of regulations may actually conflict. This situation is not unique to the coastal zone, but it is also true for the whole island. In general, Malta's development has been haphazard and piecemeal and not regulated by any national plan, formulated on the basis of a scientific study of the country's physical, economic, social and cultural characteristics, existing and projected needs and the necessity for maintaining environmental quality. Recognizing this, the Maltese government is in the process of drafting national planning guidelines in the form of the Malta Structure Plan.

As a first step towards fulfilling this objective, the Planning Services Division of the Ministry for Development of Infra- structure commissioned a Coastal Zone Survey of the Maltese Islands. As part of this, a survey of the terrestrial part of the coastal zone was carried out over a six-week period from early July 1989 by a joint team from the Universities of Durham and Malta. The output of this survey comprised a report of the survey, coastal land-use maps on a scale of 1:2,500, a series of synoptic land-use maps on a scale of 1:25,000, and a series of synoptic maps on various scales, depicting coastal features of ecologjcal importance. This in the hope of determining which areas are to be preserved and which are to be used for economic gain.