The woodland surrounding the historic Fort Madliena has been additionally planted with around 1,000 trees, will now be designated as a Tree Protection Area (TPA), the Environment Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday
This is a status granting the site protection from activities that could have an adverse impact on the area.
The area is managed by the Swieqi Local Council after afforestation funds were provided by the Ministry for Energy, the Environment and the Regeneration of the Grand Harbour through ERA’s Environment Fund.
Following the designation by ERA, the Madliena Woodland (il-Masġar tal-Madliena) now joins a list of 60 tree protection areas in Malta and Gozo as well as in Comino, forming part of the national inventory of important trees and woodlands.
With approximately 60 tree species native to the Maltese Islands - 66% of which are rare or endangered -- TPAs provide essential protection against activities that may adversely affect them.
“Here, we have a large stretch of land that will be protected through legislation designating this area as a Tree Protection Area. This means that the trees within the area will benefit from a higher level of protection, while the land as a whole will continue to be cared for with the aim of allowing it to develop into woodland over time.”
“Considerable tree planting has taken place here over the years, and this is work that we want to continue strengthening as a country. Our aim is for this area to develop into woodland that is protected and enjoyed not only by present generations, but also by future ones, for the benefit of the Swieqi community and the country as a whole,” Minister Dalli said during the announcement.
“By protecting this site, we are further contributing to the proportion of protected areas in Malta, moving further towards EU and national targets, including commitments made through Malta’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan,” said Marie Therese Gambin, ERA’s Manager responsible for Biodiversity and Natural Resources. “Trees are an important component of urban and rural biodiversity. Their essential life-supporting characteristics are often taken for granted -- natural climate regulation, soil stabilisation, storm water control, a safe haven for birds and insects, and of course shade for us humans. Tree Protection Areas help us protect important areas for a variety of tree species from adverse activities.”
With its elevated hilltop position and proximity to Fort Madliena, the Madliena woodland’s prominence makes it a distinctive and highly visible landmark within the surrounding landscape, which lies outside the development zone and is government-owned.
The woodland is primarily composed of mature Aleppo pines, originally planted in the 1970s. In 2019, around 1,000 trees of different species were planted by Ambjent Malta and the Swieqi Local Council. Invasive and alien tree species were also replaced with native trees and shrubs.
Through the BELLUS Call under the Environment Fund, which is a Fund administered by ERA, the Authority has also awarded over €60,000 towards the regeneration of the reservoir at Fort Madliena, which will be used for; water conservation; irrigation of the surrounding vegetation, and wildfire incidents.
The Environment Fund is financially supporting various projects in aid of applying nature-based solutions in urban, peri-urban and rural areas to implement more green spaces within public areas and improve our local biodiversity through afforestation initiatives.