nature

The sea around Malta is home to lots of incredible creatures, like sea turtles and colorful fish. But it’s not just animals that rely on the ocean—people do too! The sea helps bring tourists, provides fish for food, and makes Malta a beautiful place to live.

Pollution: Tourist beaches often have more trash, like plastic bottles and bags, than local beaches. This harms fish and turtles that live in the water.
Aquaculture Issues: Fish farms near the coast are important for food, but they sometimes pollute the water, making it dirty for swimming and snorkeling.

The "Saving Our Blue" campaign cleans up beaches, reduces plastic waste, and protects sea turtle nests.
Fish farms are being carefully monitored to make sure they don’t harm the water or marine life

Long ago, Malta had forests covering much of the land, but now, less than 1% of the island is covered with trees.

One of the most important green areas is Buskett Gardens, a woodland planted by the Knights of Malta hundreds of years ago.

Most forests were cleared for farming, villages, and cities. Today, there are only a few green areas left, and they face threats from construction and pollution.

Climate change is making it harder for trees to grow because of rising temperatures and less rainfall.

Trees are being planted in old quarries and other spaces to create new green areas.

Buskett Gardens is being protected and cared for to make sure it remains a safe home for animals and plants.

Laws are in place to protect certain types of trees from being cut down.

Wetlands are places where water and land meet, like small ponds or salty marshes.

In Malta, wetlands like Għadira Nature Reserve and Is-Simar are small but full of life. These places are especially important for migrating birds that travel long distances between Europe and Africa.

Wetlands are shrinking because of construction and pollution. When wetlands disappear, many animals, especially birds, lose their homes.

Birds that stop in Malta during migration, like flamingos and herons, are sometimes disturbed by hunting or trapping

Wetlands like Għadira and Is-Simar are protected as nature reserves. People work hard to keep them clean and safe for birds and plants.

Hunting laws have been introduced to protect birds that travel through Malta

Malta has many areas that are protected to keep nature safe, like Natura 2000 sites and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

One of the most famous protected places is Comino, a small island with crystal-clear water and rare plants.

Tourism and construction can harm protected areas, like when plans to build a big hotel on Comino raised concerns about damaging its natural beauty.

Some Marine Protected Areas don’t have enough staff or resources to take care of them properly

Malta is protecting beaches, cliffs, and marine life by expanding MPAs and enforcing stricter rules against harmful activities.

Comino is being safeguarded to ensure its unique environment stays untouched.