iar to many Maltese who ramble there in the winter and swim at the various beaches in summer. To make it simpler, it is the Fomm ir-Rih, Golden Bay, and Gnejna Bay areas in the northwest. The marine- protection-zone is specifically being put in place to protect fauna and wildlife, some of which flourishes in Malta, and others that are close to being endangered species.

There will be various levels of protection, such as No Entry No Take; Entry No Take and a general buffer zone. Environment Minister George Pullicino said that this announcement proved that government was on course to fulfil what it had promised before the last election.

He said that this will be the first of three areas – the others being Dwejra in Gozo and Filfla. Mr Pullicino emphasised that although, subject to public consultation, the zone will be declared, this will not mean that it will become a no go area.

"Far from it. We want activities to continue, but certain parts where the ecosystem is sensitive will be more protected than others. We want traditional pastimes to continue, including diving and fishing, but these will be better regulated and monitored," he said.

Asked by The Malta Independent about diving in particular, Mr Pullicino said that the government was looking towards using expert dive schools to allow supervised diving. "We might introduce a nominal toll fee to dive in these areas. But they are beautiful, unique and will be managed expertly. That is something that we can market outside Malta. At the last count, 35,000 tourists came to Malta just to dive," he said.

He pointed out that the zone was not simply selected at random and that studies had gone into the plan since 2000.

In fact, the government, in conjunction with Mepa, has produced a mini-documentary on DVD that will be distributed in primary schools in Malta, and in the future to other neighbouring countries.

"We want the younger generation to watch this DVD because they will be Malta's custodians in the future. After watching it, I remind myself of the natural beauty that we enjoy on this small island and it makes me want to go and tell everyone about it," said Mr Pullicino. However, he appealed for people to be more active. "We need people to take what we are saying on board. We want people to enjoy this area for years to come," he said, and added that Mepa will now put the matter to public consultation: "I hope it will be fruitful because I enjoy such meetings. However, I hope it's not one of the 'No, no and no' meetings," he said.

Asked about the coastal areas, Mr Pullicino said the concept of guided access would be applied. "This does not mean going round with a tour guide. It's simply like Brittany in France or the Lake District in the UK where everywhere is open, but you just stick to path that guides you to the most beautiful and impressive scenes," he said. The DVD was indeed impressive to watch as it gives an insight into the hitherto small glimpses of wildlife that any of us have seen when snorkeling. The sheer vastness of species that are features belies the truth. Some of these include indigenous sea grasses that stop the sand from being dragged away by the currents, sponges, algae, seaweed, and sheer huge meadows of different species of plant, grass and other forms of life. Of course, the zone is also home to various species of fish and molluscs. The latter category includes various protected species including the date mussel, noble pen shell, star coral and violet starfish.

There are other species which are not endangered but exploited commercially and the zone should give creatures such as the sea urchin (long and short spine), cuttlefish and common octopus a well-needed breather.