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Various multilateral environmental agreements exist, which call for the designation of protected areas. Some also aim at creating ecological networks across countries.
Sites of international importance include the following:
Wetlands of International Importance, or Ramsar sites, are designated under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (or UN Ramsar Convention). Malta has two such sites: L-Għadira and is-Simar.
Specially Protected Areas are designated through the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA & Biodiversity Protocol) under the United Nations Barcelona Convention (Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean). Malta has four such sites: L-Għadira, il-Gżejjer ta’ San Pawl (St Paul’s Islands), Filfla & surrounding islets, and Ħaġret il-Ġeneral (Fungus Rock).
Special Areas of Conservation, designated under the EC Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), and Special Protection Areas, designated under the EC Birds Directive (2009/147/EC). These form the Natura 2000 network, called for under the above-mentioned EC Nature Directives (EC Habitats Directive and EC Birds Directive). Various terrestrial and marine sites have been selected by Malta to form part of this network. Further details are available here .
Areas of Special Conservation Interest, forming the Emerald network of protected areas, are called for under the CoE Bern Convention. Such network is to be established in the territory of the Contracting Parties and observer States to the Bern Convention, including, amongst others, Central and Eastern European countries and the EU Member States. For Malta, being an EU Member State, the sites forming part of the Emerald network are the same as those that form part of the Natura 2000 Network.
Below is a selection of protected sites:
Across the Maltese Islands, 29.13% (92.04km2) of the land area is covered by one designation or another, or even more than one. Included in this is 13.8% (over 43.6km2) of land area, which forms part of the EU Natura 2000 network of protected areas. Furthermore, 35.5% (4,138km2) of the Maltese Fisheries Management Zone (FMZ) has been designated as marine protected areas (MPAs).
As an EU Member State, Malta is committed to reporting annually on various core data flows on areas designated under national legislation for nature protection. This report, known as the Nationally Designated Areas (NatDA) —formerly the Common Database on Designated Areas (CDDA) — is essentially a database of the various designated areas under national law.
The table below gives an overview of the various designations of protected areas in the Maltese Islands as per national legislation; it is important to note that a number of these are covered by more than one designation.
| Designation | Legislation |
| Bird sanctuary | S.L. 549.42 |
| National park (Majjistral) | S.L. 549.48 |
| Nature reserve (Filfla) | Cap. 323 |
| Nature reserve (Il-Ponta tal-Qawra) | S.L. 549.150 |
| Nature reserve (Islands) | S.L. 549.01 S.L. 549.03 |
| Protected beach | S.L. 549.42 |
| Special Area of Conservation (SAC) – International Importance | G.N. 1522 of 2019 G.N. 682 of 2018 G.N. 1379 of 2016 |
| Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) – National Importance | G.N. 399 of 2024 |
| Special Area of Geological Importance | G.N. 1476 of 2019 |
| Special Protection Areas | G.N. 1522 of 2019 G.N. 682 of 2018 G.N. 1379 of 2016 |
| Tree Protection Areas | S.L. 549.123 G.N. 316 of 2017 G.N. 473 of 2011 |
Below is a selection of protected areas, which give a taste of Malta’s beautiful nature:
Links to shapefiles of the terrestrial and marine designations under G.N. 1522 of 2019 and G.N. 682 of 2018 respectively:
The Commission Recommendation 2000/473/Euratom concerning the monitoring of the levels of radioactivity in the environment for the purpose of assessing the exposure of the population as a whole, recommends to Member States obligations on the application of Articles 35 and 36 of the Euratom Treaty. The Euratom Treaty is the Treaty which establishes the European Atomic Energy Community.
Based on the requirements of Article 35 of the Euratom Treaty the Commission recommends that each Member State establishes the facilities necessary to carry out continuous monitoring of the levels of radioactivity in air, water and soil and to ensure compliance with the basic safety standards. The Treaty also gives the European Commission the right of access to such facilities in order that it may verify their operation, efficiency and assessment of the adequacy of monitoring facilities.
In addition, Article 36 of the Euratom Treaty sets out an obligation for each Member State to provide the Commission with periodic reports on the data collected under Article 35 so that it is kept informed of the level of radioactivity to which the public is exposed.
Malta’s obligations with respect to the implementation of Articles 35 and 36 of the Treaty are set out in the National Environment Radioactivity Surveillance Plan (NERSP) for Malta. This plan identifies the monitoring requirements of ambient radiation, measurement of radioactivity concentrations in aerosols/ particles in air, food, drinking water, coastal waters and soils. The Radiation Protection Board (RPB) is responsible to coordinate the implementation of the requirements of the Euratom Treaty. The responsibility is shared between the member agencies of the RPB namely ERA, the Civil Protection Department the Environmental Health Directorate, and the Occupational Health and Safety Authority.
ERA’s remit in the NERSP for Malta is divided into four separate actions, which include Continuous Gamma dose rate monitoring and analysis of radiation levels in air particulates, coastal surface waters and soil monitoring.
Air Particulates
In addition to the gamma dose rate monitoring, air is monitored for the presence of radionuclides. A high volume sampler is installed in Bengħajsa which is used to capture the total air particulates on a filter. The filter is then analysed using gamma ray spectrscopy in an accredited laboratory.
Soil and Coastal Surface Waters Sampling
Soil samples are taken at yearly intervals from 5 locations in Malta and Gozo. The samples are sent to an accredited laboratory where they are analysed by means of gamma spectroscopy. This analysis is capable of identifying and quantifying radionuclides that might be present in the soil.
Coastal surface water is monitored at intervals of three months at three sampling points, two in Malta and one in Gozo. The samples collected are treated and set to an accredited laboratory to be analysed for the presence of radioactive particles using gamma spectroscopy.
Natura 2000 is a network of protected areas across the European Union, with the aim of affording protection to habitats and species of wild fauna and flora of Community interest. Conservation and management measures have to be established and implemented in order to ensure that the condition of the natural habitats and species’ populations, which are of particular importance, are maintained and/or restored in order to ensure their survival.
A site may be proposed as a Natura 2000 site when it supports natural habitat types and habitats of species of Community interest (pSCI), which habitats and species are listed in the Annexes of the EC Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). The natural habitats and species that are listed in the said Annexes include vulnerable, rare and endangered habitats and species. Once approved by the European Commission, each site is referred to as a Site of Community Importance (SCI), which is then eventually designated as Special Area of Conservation (SAC) once relevant conservation measures are applied by the relevant Member State. A Natura 2000 site can also be designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA), as called for under the EC Birds Directive (2009/147/EC), when the site is known to be particularly important for the conservation of wild bird species. It is imperative to note that Natura 2000 is not a system of strict nature reserves where all human activities are excluded. The aim is to ensure that the management of such sites is sustainable, both ecologically and economically.
Species that require designation of protected sites:
The Natura 2000 network throughout Europe comprises more than 27,700 sites, with the terrestrial component representing 18.17% (789,868km2) of the EU-28 land territory. The network also covers about 444,446km2 of the marine environment (update November 2017). For further details on the network, reference can be made to the European Commission Natura 2000 webpage. To get an overview of the location of the Natura 2000 sites across the European Union, reference can be made to the Natura 2000 viewer, which also includes site datasheets. The information within the datasheets can also be obtained through the Natura 2000 database.
Air is continuously monitored for the presence of ionising radiation. Radiation monitoring stations monitor alpha, beta and gamma radiation in real-time.
These stations are linked to a central server which uploads the data to the European Radiological Data Exchange Platform (EURDEP). Presently ERA runs three ionising radiation monitoring stations which are located at fixed sites in Bengħajsa, Attard and Għarb Gozo.
The Environmental Noise Directive (END) 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise, sets a common approach to the management of noise originating from road traffic, railways, airports and major industry. It is the main EU instrument to identify noise pollution levels and to trigger the necessary action through the compilation of strategic noise maps for major roads, railways, airports and agglomerations. Following the noise maps, noise action plans should be developed to prevent and reduce noise where necessary and preserve the noise climate where it is good.
The Directive is transposed separately in each Member State of the EU into local legislation. In Malta, the END is transposed through S.L.549.37, the “Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise Regulations, 2004”, L.N. 193 of 2004, as amended by Legal Notices 426 of 2007, 366 of 2018 and 35 of 2022 . ERA is the competent authority for these regulations.
The Directive applies to environmental noise, originating from designated major roads, railways or aircraft transport sources as well as industrial sites. In particular, it applies to built-up areas, public parks or other quiet areas in an agglomeration, in quiet areas in open country, near schools, hospitals and other noise-sensitive buildings and areas. Hence, the strategic noise maps and noise action plans are to be drawn up for areas within the designated agglomerations that may be affected by noise emitted by sources such as roads, industry and airports, or areas in the vicinity of major roads across the country. The results of the strategic noise maps allow us to estimate the exposure to particular noise levels.
The Directive does not cover workplace noise, neighbourhood noise, construction noise, entertainment noise, noise nuisance, fireworks noise, consumer product noise and noise transmission between dwellings.
Strategic Noise Maps
The purpose of strategic noise mapping is to:
- provide information to the public and decision makers on noise exposure locally, nationally and internationally;
- develop action plans for the purpose of managing noise exposure; and
- assist the European Commission in future development of European noise policy.
The END sets out specific information on the results of the strategic noise maps that are reported to the European Commission every five years. The fourth round of strategic noise maps has been compiled by external consultants on behalf of ERA. These noise maps have been developed for base year 2021 and cover all Arterial and Distributor roads (Major Roads with more than 3 million vehicle passages per annum) and all other Arterial, Distributor and Local Access Roads within Malta’s Noise Agglomeration. The Strategic Noise Mapping of industrial noise sources was undertaken for industrial sites of a certain capacity (which also require a permit pursuant to the Industrial Emissions Directive) within the Malta Noise Agglomeration. Noise maps were also compiled for the Malta International Airport as it was found to have an impact in terms of noise exposure on the Malta Noise agglomeration, even though it is located just outside the boundary of the agglomeration area.
Agglomeration Boundary
The extent of the Noise agglomeration was delineated together with the R1 strategic noise mapping exercise, using the population data from National Statistics Office census, as well as land use and building extent datasets. The agglomeration definition was then used for the previous rounds (R2 and R3) strategic noise mapping of agglomeration roads, industry and aircraft, since at the time, the population within the agglomeration fell below the 250,000 threshold required for mapping under the first round (R1). As from the second round onwards the threshold of the number of inhabitants residing within the agglomeration boundary was that of 100,000 – as defined in the END.
The delineation for the agglomeration was then revised for the fourth round of mapping as there were minor changes to the extent of the urbanised area to warrant a re-delineation of the agglomeration. The total area of the R4 agglomeration is 54.3 km2, whilst the total R4 population within the agglomeration is 339,361, compared to 277,600 for R3.
Extent of Malta’s Noise Agglomeration Area
Major Roads
A major road is defined as a regional, national or international road, designated by the competent authority, which has more than three million vehicle passages a year.
The updates for the R4 mapping include the addition of roads newly constructed or altered since the R3 mapping, and the revision of traffic flow data in line with the Transport Malta – National Transport Model or actual traffic counts. From this updated inventory, it was possible to identify sections of road with an annual flow above 3 million vehicles, with an annual average daily traffic flow greater than 8,219, as major roads.
The total length of R4 major roads is 354.91 km, compared with 293.4 km mapped as R3 major roads.
| Source |
Total length of roads (km) |
|
| Major roads across Malta > 3 M veh/yr |
354.9 |
|
| Non-major within agglomeration |
184.6 |
|
|
539.5 |
Major Roads Network for R4 Noise Maps
Population Exposure Assessment
Set out below are summary tables estimating the population exposure for Round 4 Major Roads, total area exposed and number of dwellings that lie within the 5dB noise level contour band for Lden and Lnight for major roads in the Maltese Islands.
| Noise Scenario | Noise Category (dB) | R4 Population (including agglomeration) | R4 number of dwellings exposed to noise from major roads including agglomerations | R4 Area (including agglomeration) [km2] |
| Lden | >55 | 35,900 | 12,600 | 63.52 |
| >65 | 12,000 | 4,200 | 19.01 | |
| >75 | 600 | 200 | 3.70 |
| Noise Scenario | Noise Category | R4 number of people exposed to noise from major roads outside agglomerations | R4 number of people exposed to noise from major roads inside agglomerations | R4 number of people exposed to noise from major roads including agglomerations |
| Lden | 55-59 | 3,100 | 10,300 | 13,400 |
| 60-64 | 2,400 | 8,100 | 10,500 | |
| 65-69 | 2,000 | 6,100 | 8,100 | |
| 70-74 | 500 | 2,800 | 3,300 | |
| ≥75 | 100 | 500 | 600 | |
| Total | 8,100 | 27,800 | 35,900 | |
| Lnight | 50-54 | 2,500 | 8,200 | 10,700 |
| 55-59 | 2,200 | 6,700 | 8,900 | |
| 60-64 | 700 | 3,400 | 4,100 | |
| 65-69 | 100 | 700 | 800 | |
| ≥70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 5,500 | 19,000 | 24,500 | |
| Note: Due to rounding of underlying results to nearest 100, the values in the table may not always add up as expected. | ||||
The table below shows the results of the population exposure analysis (estimated number of people rounded to hundreds) living in dwellings that are exposed to noise in 5dB bands for all relevant roads inside the agglomeration for Round 4.
| Noise Scenario | Noise Category | R4 number of people exposed to noise from roads inside agglomerations |
| Lden | 55-59 | 17,000 |
| 60-64 | 17,100 | |
| 65-69 | 8,500 | |
| 70-74 | 2,800 | |
| ≥75 | 500 | |
| Total | 45,900 | |
| Lnight | 50-54 | 17,200 |
| 55-59 | 10,200 | |
| 60-64 | 3,400 | |
| 65-69 | 700 | |
| ≥70 | 0 | |
| Total | 31,500 |
Lden (day-evening-night noise level) is the A-weighted noise indicator, Leq (equivalent noise level) over a whole day, in decibels (dB), but with a penalty of +10 dB(A) for night-time noise (23:00-07:00) and +5 dB(A) for evening noise (19:00-23:00).
Lnight (night noise level) is the A-weighted, Leq (equivalent noise level) over the 8-hour night period of 23:00-07:00 hours, also known as the night noise indicator.
Noise Action Plan
The following actions are to be implemented in stages within each Member State:
- Determine the exposure to environmental noise, through noise mapping, by common methods of assessment;
- Ensure that information on environmental noise and its effects is made available to the public;
- Adopt action plans, based upon noise-mapping results, with a view to prevent and reduce environmental noise where necessary and particularly where exposure levels can induce harmful effects on human health and to preserve environmental noise quality where it is good.
ERA has published the third round Noise Action Plans (NAP) for public consultation from 8th November 2022 till 19th December 2022. The plans were approved in line with Article 51 of the Environment Protection Act (Cap. 549). The NAP provides an overview of the requirements and obligations of the regulations, presents a summary of the results of the strategic noise maps and illustrates actions which responsible authorities intend to take in the coming five years. The NAP is designed to address the management of environmental noise affecting Malta from transport noise including road and air, together with industrial noise as well as Major Roads across the Maltese Islands.
The main target is to have an integrated noise management approach, which is tackled in a twofold manner:
a) Protection of the future noise climate – i.e. areas we need to preserve, and
b) Reduction of the existing noise climate where necessary, – i.e. areas where we need to reduce noise.
The implementation of the plan involves a staged approach in assessing the existing levels of environmental noise in Malta. This is to be achieved by assessing the strategic noise maps with a view of identifying potential locations for action using a prioritisation exercise. The next step entails a confirmation of the noise levels originally assessed by the strategic noise maps, to which the population in the areas which are being addressed are exposed to. Eventually, this step will lead to a review of possible mitigation actions which will be subject to a cost-benefit analysis.
Round 3 Strategic Noise Maps Validation
As part of the Round 3 Noise Action Plans, strategic noise maps were validated using a scientifically robust methodology to confirm their accuracy. This validation ensures that the modelled noise levels reflect real-world conditions before considering mitigation measures or allocating funds for necessary actions. The Round 3 Strategic Noise Maps Validation was carried out in Malta for major roads and aircraft noise sources and involved field noise measurements at six test sites, comparing actual noise levels with modelled data. This process supports informed decision-making on noise mitigation measures and helps ensure effective noise management in the community. For more details, refer to the full report.
