Draft management framework launched

An educational pack on the ecology of the Mediterranean Sea, aimed at creating awareness about the natural treasures which lie in the sea surrounding the islands, is in the making and will eventually be distributed to primary school students, possibly even those of other Mediterranean countries, Environment Minister George Pullicino said yesterday.

The minister was addressing a press conference in which the draft management framework for Malta's first marine conservation area was launched.

The area, identified years ago as having potential in this respect, is the stretch of sea from Rdum Majjiesa to Ras ir-Raheb, taking in one of Malta's most spectacular cliff sides which includes Gnejna bay, Ghajn Tuffieha bay and the clay slopes in between.

The process started off with a consultation process about a year ago with the directly affected stakeholders. A management plan has been drawn up and is open for wide consultation.

After this process, preparations will start for the plan to be implemented starting from September 2008. A small zone, which is particularly sensitive, will be entirely off limits while in other parts "guided access" will be allowed.

Most of the area will be accessible and fishing will be allowed. However, all activity will be subjected to monitoring, aimed at making sure that the activity is sustainable. "The point is to protect the environment in such a way that it can continue to be enjoyed," Minister Pullicino emphasised.

The areas surrounding Filfla and probably Dwejra will be the next conservation zones in line with a commitment to identify at least three areas within this legislature, he continued. During the press conference, a DVD documentary specific to the area was distributed to journalists.

However, the educational pack referred to by the minister will cover the ecosystems of the Mediterranean sea in general.

After it is distributed locally, the minister said, it is hoped that it might be exported to other Mediterranean countries.

The pack will be launched soon at the San Lucjan aquaculture centre in Marsaxlokk where a permanent exhibition on the same subject will be inaugurated.

It is useless for the government to pass legislation which protects marine environments if the people do not know or understand what treasures lie under the sea, Mr Pullicino said.

The DVD documenting the marine environment at Rdum Majjiesa to Ras ir-Raheb was shown during the press conference. Besides vast meadows of posidonia oceanica (alka), which is endemic only to certain Mediterranean marine habitats and therefore protected, the video documents a wide array of fish, including small species which forage in the sea plants as well as lobsters, star fish and schools of barracuda and larger fish, most of which go unnoticed by those who do not venture below the surface.