Due to their geographic position, the Maltese Islands can be considered as the quintessential Mediterranean archipelago and hence a brief overview of the Mediterranean Sea, which bathes 23 countries (including Gibraltar, UK), three continents and 200 million inhabitants, is warranted in any marine- oriented argument concerning our islands. ; peer-reviewed
The electrical energy requirements of the Maltese Islands are met in their entirety by two oil-fired electrical generation plants. In view of this complete dependence upon fossil fuels, investigations into the prospects of diversifying electrical generation by resorting to renewable energy technologies are particularly relevant. The archipelago has peculiar characteristics such as high population density, comparatively deep coastal waters and an economy based on tourism, manufacturing, marine-sector activities and services that make the integration of wind power generation projects challenging. Local government authorities commissioned the authors to assess the constraints related to wind farm development in a shallow water coastal area, known as is-Sikka l-Bajda, which could present a wind potential worth exploiting, and to recommend adequate mitigation measures to minimize any impacts and conflicts with stakeholders. These constraints include marine navigational aspects, fishing and aquaculture, tourism and other site-specific activities. Environmental constraints exist including the fact that the site is characterized by extensive seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) meadows, that it is a priority habitat under the EU Habitats Directive, and that the site itself is a reef - another priority habitat within the same directive. The proposed near-shore site is also in the vicinity of a protected coastal bird rafting and bird nesting site for the Yelkouan Shearwater species. Submarine noise generation - particularly during the construction phase - is also of concern in view of the regular sighting of marine mammals in Maltese coastal waters. In the site evaluation exercise, another secondary site in the Maltese Islands, located off the north Gozo coast, was also assessed. Mitigation measures specific to the Sikka l-Bajda site proposed by the authors include the deployment of silt curtains, bubble screens and unobtrusive turbine lighting devices and avoiding utilisation of the reef area closest to the protected bird colony. Such measures also relate to the choice of the array design to minimise visual impact and to the period of the year when wind plant construction and deployment should take place to minimize impact on avifaunal populations. By declaring the marine area contiguous to the proposed nearshore wind facility development as off-limits to fishing vessels, a de facto 'No-take' Marine Protected Area can also be effectively instituted. One also expects submerged components of the nearshore wind facility to be colonized within a brief period by a diverse fouling community and that the same components act as Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD's), greatly enhancing fish populations in the area. In view of the current paucity in Mediterranean nearshore wind power facilities, the proposed project could potentially serve as a pilot project for the whole region, and also become a tourist attraction. ; peer-reviewed
The increasing reliance of human societies on globalised maritime trade has spearheaded the spread of exotic aquatic species worldwide, with the Mediterranean Sea being one of the regional seas mostly affected by the phenomenon of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) introductions, by virtue of its geographical location. This study attempts to characterise the flow of exotic aquatic biota being imported from non-EU countries to the Maltese Islands by assessing the information contained within a sample of importation licenses. ; N/A
The accelerated discard and mismanagement of human-made products are resulting in the continued input of litter into the oceans. Models and field observations show how floating litter can accumulate in remote areas throughout the global ocean, but far less is known about the non-floating litter fraction. Seagrass meadows play an important role in the sediment and natural-debris dynamics, and likely also in the storage and processing of non-floating litter. In this work, non-floating litter was studied across six Posidonia oceanica meadows. Litter accumulated mainly around the landside edge of the meadow. The outer margin of the edge predominantly trapped macro-litter, whilst microplastics accumulated mainly along the inner margin. On average, macro-litter concentrations increased 3-fold after heavy rainfall. Retention of non-floating litter by coastal meadows facilitates the recurrent landward-seaward conveyance of the easily-transportable litter (mainly plastic items) and its fragmentation before it is buried or transferred to deeper areas. ; This work was supported by Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Government of Spain ('MIDaS' CTM2016-77106-R, 2016); University of Cadiz (FPUCA2018, Support for university professors training for doctoral students at the University of Cadiz); CEIMAR Foundation, C´adiz (Grant for international mobility of doctoral students for development of thesis in co-tutelage regime, 2019); 'Diputaci´on de C´adiz' and SEA-EU (Beca Talento, 2021).
This study was contracted by the Malta Aquaculture Research Centre (MARC), Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs (MRRA) and took place over a 4 month period between February and June 2011. The purpose of the study is the preparation of an aquaculture strategy for Malta, with the overall objectives stated as: (1) To lay down a structured path for sustainably developing aquaculture in Malta (2) To identify the domains that are essential for a profitable and sustainable industry in Malta. The report contains sections on international context, the present status of the industry, key industry issues, future potential, and a strategy for the industry. ; peer-reviewed
This report describes the main objectives, implementation details and outputs of PERSEUS summer schools held in Constanza, Gelendzik and Anavyssos. The specific objective of this deliverable is to give an overview of the three training courses held within the course of the PERSEUS project, providing details of the thematic content of the same training courses and of the skills imparted to participants as a result of such training. In this way, this deliverable might prove useful to those entrusted to design and offer future marine environmental policy training in the SES as a showcase of good training practice. By underscoring the most significant outputs emerging from such training courses, this deliverable also aims to demonstrate how PERSEUS has contributed in a tangible manner towards a new scientific vision for the SES. This deliverable achieved this jointly with the two sister deliverables 8.3 and 8.4, contributing to the fostering of a PERSEUS community of trained MSFD practitioners who can extend the legacy of such a project beyond its lifetime by assisting their respective countries and institutes in achieving MSFD goal compliance through the PERSEUS training they have received. ; peer-reviewed
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) applies an ecosystem-based model in aspiring to lead EU Member States to the achievement of a Good Environment Status (GES) for eleven different Descriptors of the marine environment. Descriptor 2 of the MSFD focuses on Non-Indigenous Species (NIS), and this study reports the data collected from the Maltese Islands over the 2017-2018 period for this Descriptor. ; N/A
Terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems are connected via multiple biophysical and ecological processes. Identifying and quantifying links among ecosystems is necessary for the uptake of integrated conservation actions across realms. Such actions are particularly important for species using habitats in more than one realm during their daily or life cycle. We reviewed information on the habitats of 2,408 species of European conservation concern and found that 30% of the species use habitats in multiple realms. Transportation and service corridors, which fragment species habitats, were identified as the most important threat impacting ∼70% of the species. We examined information on 1,567 European Union (EU) conservation projects funded over the past 25 years, to assess the adequacy of efforts toward the conservation of "multi-realm" species at a continental scale. We discovered that less than a third of multi-realm species benefited from projects that included conservation actions across multiple realms. To achieve the EU's conservation target of halting biodiversity loss by 2020 and effectively protect multi-realm species, integrated conservation efforts across realms should be reinforced by: (1) recognizing the need for integrated management at a policy level, (2) revising conservation funding priorities across realms, and (3) implementing integrated land-freshwater-sea conservation planning and management.
Terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems are connected via multiple biophysical and ecological processes. Identifying and quantifying links among ecosystems is necessary for the uptake of integrated conservation actions across realms. Such actions are particularly important for species using habitats in more than one realm during their daily or life cycle. We reviewed information on the habitats of 2,408 species of European conservation concern and found that 30% of the species use habitats in multiple realms. Transportation and service corridors, which fragment species habitats, were identified as the most important threat impacting ~70% of the species. We examined information on 1,567 European Union (EU) conservation projects, funded over the past 25 years, to assess the adequacy of efforts towards the conservation of "multi-realm" species at a continental scale. We discovered that less than a third of "multi-realm" species benefited from projects that included conservation actions across multiple realms. To achieve the EU's conservation target of halting biodiversity loss by 2020 and effectively protect multi-realm species, integrated conservation efforts across realms should be reinforced by: 1) recognizing the need for integrated management at a policy level, 2) revising conservation funding priorities across realms, and 3) implementing integrated land-freshwater-sea conservation planning and management.
Terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems are connected via multiple biophysical and ecological processes. Identifying and quantifying links among ecosystems is necessary for the uptake of integrated conservation actions across realms. Such actions are particularly important for species using habitats in more than one realm during their daily or life cycle. We reviewed information on the habitats of 2,408 species of European conservation concern and found that 30% of the species use habitats in multiple realms. Transportation and service corridors, which fragment species habitats, were identified as the most important threat impacting similar to 70% of the species. We examined information on 1,567 European Union (EU) conservation projects funded over the past 25 years, to assess the adequacy of efforts toward the conservation of "multi-realm" species at a continental scale. We discovered that less than a third of multi-realm species benefited from projects that included conservation actions across multiple realms. To achieve the EU's conservation target of halting biodiversity loss by 2020 and effectively protect multi-realm species, integrated conservation efforts across realms should be reinforced by: (1) recognizing the need for integrated management at a policy level, (2) revising conservation funding priorities across realms, and (3) implementing integrated land-freshwater-sea conservation planning and management.
Terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems are connected via multiple biophysical and ecological processes. Identifying and quantifying links among ecosystems is necessary for the uptake of integrated conservation actions across realms. Such actions are particularly important for species using habitats in more than one realm during their daily or life cycle. We reviewed information on the habitats of 2,408 species of European conservation concern and found that 30% of the species use habitats in multiple realms. Transportation and service corridors, which fragment species habitats, were identified as the most important threat impacting ∼70% of the species. We examined information on 1,567 European Union (EU) conservation projects funded over the past 25 years, to assess the adequacy of efforts toward the conservation of "multi‐realm" species at a continental scale. We discovered that less than a third of multi‐realm species benefited from projects that included conservation actions across multiple realms. To achieve the EU's conservation target of halting biodiversity loss by 2020 and effectively protect multi‐realm species, integrated conservation efforts across realms should be reinforced by: (1) recognizing the need for integrated management at a policy level, (2) revising conservation funding priorities across realms, and (3) implementing integrated land‐freshwater‐sea conservation planning and management.
Terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems are connected via multiple biophysical and ecological processes. Identifying and quantifying links among ecosystems is necessary for the uptake of integrated conservation actions across realms. Such actions are particularly important for species using habitats in more than one realm during their daily or life cycle. We reviewed information on the habitats of 2,408 species of European conservation concern and found that 30% of the species use habitats in multiple realms. Transportation and service corridors, which fragment species habitats, were identified as the most important threat impacting similar to 70% of the species. We examined information on 1,567 European Union (EU) conservation projects funded over the past 25 years, to assess the adequacy of efforts toward the conservation of "multi-realm" species at a continental scale. We discovered that less than a third of multi-realm species benefited from projects that included conservation actions across multiple realms. To achieve the EU's conservation target of halting biodiversity loss by 2020 and effectively protect multi-realm species, integrated conservation efforts across realms should be reinforced by: (1) recognizing the need for integrated management at a policy level, (2) revising conservation funding priorities across realms, and (3) implementing integrated land-freshwater-sea conservation planning and management.
