Red Data Book for the Maltese Islands

The first official National Red Data Book for the Maltese Islands was published in 1989 by the former Environment Division of the Ministry for Education. This publication identifies which organisms inhabiting the Maltese Islands are threatened, endemic, rate or of particular scientific or cultural interest, and are therefore top priority for protection and conservation. This book follows the framework developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), still used for international and regional Red Data Lists.

The Red Data Book for the Maltese Islands consists of eight chapters dealing with different taxonomic groups. Each chapter was written by experts in their respective fields. At the time of publication, this work included information which had previously been unpublished. Consequently this publication was, and still is, a landmark publication on the biodiversity of the Maltese Islands. Each species listed includes the English and Maltese names, a code outlining its status and a brief note on taxonomy, distribution, threats, conservation and other relevant information.