Metamorphosis on a European island. This is how her underwater world will change
Malta wants to protect its valuable marine habitats, while not restricting access to one of its most popular diving sites.
For most tourists, Cirkewwa on the north-west coast of Malta is associated primarily with a crossing to its sister island of Gozo. This is where the main ferry terminal connecting both islands is located. However, a few hundred meters away, south of the port, a completely different world begins – one of the best-known diving sites in Malta: with reefs, underwater posidonia meadows and shipwrecks.
Diving in Malta. It’s a much-loved area
This area is also used by sailors, fishermen and scientists. The new plan aims to reconcile various activities with environmental protection – Ċirkewwa is part of the Maltese network marine Natura 2000 areas. Therefore, the point is not to close the park to tourists, but to manage it in such a way that diving, sailing and recreation can develop without excessive pressure on sensitive underwater ecosystems.
The plan includes, among others: designating zones for various activities, new mooring rules, user codes of conduct and more effective biodiversity monitoring.
Plan for Cirkewwa
Malta already has experience with a similar governance model. Some of these solutions were previously introduced in the Blue Lagoon on the island of Comino, where organizing tourist traffic led to reducing the impact of tourism on the natural environment of one of the most frequently visited places in the Mediterranean archipelago. Similar logic is expected to be applied in Ċirkewwa. The assumption is simple: the better preserved the underwater ecosystem, the greater its value for tourism.
For Malta, the initiative is not only important environmentally. This Mediterranean archipelago has been one of the destinations eagerly chosen by divers for years. Underwater landscapes, transparency of 30-40 meters, wrecks and the possibility of diving most of the year are an important part of the local tourist offer.
The Natura 2000 area currently covers 18 areas with a total area of over 4,100 km², equivalent to over 35% of the Malta Fisheries Management Zone.
