Malta

Malta is an archipelago in the Mediterranean, with Malta and Gozo being its largets islands. It is the smallest country in the EU with an terrestrial area of close to 314km² and a marine area of over 75,000km². The highest point is Ta' Dmejrek reaching 253m. Malta has a population of 520,000 people and a population density of 1,649 people per km².

of land covered

by protected areas

of marine waters

covered by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in Malta cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of Malta terrestrial area of is designated as protected areas, which is above the EU value of 26.4%. The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030. In the marine waters of Malta, protected areas coverage is currently at , which is below the EU value of 12.1%.

Number of protected areas

Malta has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Number of protected areas

Protected areas designated

under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In Malta, slightly more than the half of the terrestrial protected areas are designated solely under national laws and the other half consists mainly of Natura 2000 sites overlapping with national designations. In the marine waters of Malta, nationally designated areas and Natura 2000 sites overlap almost entirely.

Spatial distribution of protected areas network

Protected areas designated under national laws

Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network

Size distribution of protected areas network

The majority (81%) of terrestrial protected areas in country are smaller than 1km² in size, which is significantly higher than the average proportion of small protected areas across the EU. 17% of terrestrial sites are 1-10km²and further 2% 10-100km² and none are larger than that. The situation in the marine waters of Malta is characterized by the presence of larger protected areas with the majority (61%) being 100-1,000km².

Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Malta cover species and habitats from the nature directives. The number of species and habitats protected in each site varies depending on the location of the site, the biodiversity in the region, the designation being used, and the features the site is being created to protect.

Species protected in Malta under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Malta hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 3% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 17% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.

species protected under EU law

species under the Habitats Directive

species under the Birds Directive

Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive

In Malta, of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.

Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In Malta, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 63.7%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 10.4% of protected species, and vascular plants, representing 7.2%.

Conservation Status by Taxa

In Malta, the assessment of species groups reveals that other invertebrates have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 100%. Following closely behind are vascular plants, with 77.7%, and non-vascular plants, with 66.6% of species in good conservation status. Molluscs exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 40%. The assessments for fish and amphibians species are reporting poor conservation status at 100%.

Habitats protected in Malta under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Malta hosts habitat types, which is approximately 12.4% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Malta

Conservation status of habitats

In Malta, 27.6% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is above the EU average of 14.7%. A significant proportion of assessments, amounting to 58.6%, indicate a bad conservation status, surpassing the EU average of 35.8%.

Protected habitat composition by group

In Malta, the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of coastal and salt-tolerant habitats, accounting for 31% of the total. Following behind are forests, with 20.6% and sclerophyllous scrub, with 17.2% of the protected habitats.

Conservation status by group

In Malta the assessment of habitat groups reveals that rocky habitats have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 66.6%. Following behind are sclerophyllous scrub, with 40% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, grasslands, freshwater and dune habitats exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 100%, while forests also have a significant proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 66.6%.

Malta is predominantly characterised by two main types of ecosystems: agroecosystems, which cover 57.6% of the country, followed by Urban areas occupying 30.5% of the land area. However, Malta has relatively smaller proportions of heathland ecosystems (9.4%), forests (2.5%) and rivers and lakes (0.02%).

In terms of the protected area network, heathlands constitute the largest portion, covering 48.7% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 45.8% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Urban areas account for 4.1% of the protected areas, emphasizing the significance of protecting nature within urban environments. Forests contribute to 1.4% of the protected areas, while rivers and lakes represent and wetlands comprise 0%.