A meeting was convened with the main stakeholders of the Santa Marija Bay wetland on Comino island, Malta 1st and 2nd August 2022. The representatives of Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), the Ambjent Malta, the BirdLife Malta, the consultants and PAP/RAC all agreed that the Restoration plan for this coastal wetland was well elaborated and provides all technical elements for implementation. Although the area is relatively small the methodological approach has an important educational value and could be used for other similar situations. The meeting was followed by the site visit where the Ambjent Malta has already implemented the major interventions in the space as provided by the Plan, such as the creation of ponds for the retention of the fresh water and planted some key plants that will establish favourable conditions for migratory birds when stopping on the island. And also, the intervention will re-establish the water cycle and connectivity between the sea, the dunes and the coastal wetland itself.
All participants expressed satisfaction with the work done and in particular with the implementation phase that started immediately after the Restoration plan was finalised. This is usually not the case.
The project was coordinated by PAP/RAC and it was financed by the modest SIDA funds in the context of the UN decade of ecosystem restoration.
I you want to know more about the restoration plan, please click on the following link.
