The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) has proposed ten new sites to be included in the European Union Programme Natura2000. Għar Dalam, the Ta’ Ċenċ cliff face as well as the Qortin garrigue are among the proposed sites, which all bear scientific or ecological importance.
The sites could be included in the Natura2000 network if MEPA’s proposal is accepted. The network establishes obligations so that conservation plans are laid down to safeguard and manage important natural sites.
Four cliff faces in Gozo, including that of Ta’ Ċenċ, and a further two cliff faces in Malta were identified by the MEPA as natural environment sites worthy of being considered special protected zones. According to the MEPA these sites are of great importance for a varied range of birds.
Three sites on land as well as an offshore site are also being proposed to be included in the Natura2000 programme as special conservation sites. These sites include Għar Dalam, the Rabat Cave, the Qortin garrigue and the stretch of sea between Majjiesa Cliffs and Ras ir-Raħeb.
Besides its archeological importance, Għar Dalam has been found to have ecological importance for woodlice, earning itself a proposal as a special conservation site. In turn, the Rabat Cave has been proposed for hosting a large population of a specie of bats identified as Tan-Nagħla ż-Żgħira. Qortin Garrigue, near Nadur, Gozo hosts a number of endemic plants while a number of underwater caves can be found between Majjiesa Cliffs and Ras ir-Raħeb. These two sites have also been proposed as special conservation sites.
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