A pilot study aimed at the establishment of marine protected areas in the Maltese Islands

Abstract

The Maltese Islands at the centre of the Mediterranean have a coastline of ca 190km and a submerged area (to a depth of 100m) of approximately 1,940Km² They are densely populated and are now visited by over a million tourists every year. Human pressure on the environment has increased tremendously over the past four decades and, today, no pan of the local environment is totally free from the effects of human activities. At sea, although it is difficult to ascertain the extent of human impact. one can claim with an appreciable degree of certainty that divers have probably trekked the entire seabed from the mean sea-level to a depth of about 65m, while bottom trawling, dumping of dredge spoil , major coastal projects and day-to-day uses of coastal resources and those of the sea adjacent to the coast, have all taken their toll. Although protection of the coastal sea may be largely seen as a domestic issue, conservation of the marine environment at large now has an international dimension; this is especially true for the Mediterranean region where regional agreements concerning marine protection have existed since 1975 In the form of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) adopted by the Mediterranean countries and the (then) EEC. followed by the Barcelona Convention in 1976. adminstered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).