Topics: Biodiversity

Home Topics Biodiversity Habitats Threats to Habitats

The following tables give an overview of the main threats affecting different habitat types known from the Maltese Islands.

Terrestrial Habitats	Examples of Threats
Garrigue	Land reclamation Fly-tipping Land conversion, degradation, fragmentation and loss Quarrying activity Invasion by non-native species Over-grazing Intentional fires Clearing of vegetation Littering
Saline Marshlands	Land conversion, degradation, fragmentation and loss Dumping of building waste and domestic refuse Invasions by weed species Vandalistic acts
Coastal Wetlands	Rubbish dumping Trampling
Freshwater Rock Pools	Habitat loss
Sand Dunes	Land conversion and inappropriate land use Trampling, dumping, fire and other disturbances resulting from human activity Impact of non-native species Natural disasters, such as storms
Valley Watercourses	Land conversion Dumping of building waste and domestic refuse Nutrient over-enrichment via run-off of nitrates/phosphates from farmed land Invasion by non-native species Diversion of water from watercourses
Rupestral Habitats	Quarrying activity

Marine Habitats	Examples of Threats
Supralittoral/Mediolittoral Rock	Loss of habitat by coastal land-use change Dumping of building waste and littering Land pollution Effluent run-off
Supralittoral Sand	Trampling Romval of sand Mechanical damage
Posidonia Banquettes	Removal of drying and decaying plant debris on beaches
Seagrass meadows	Mechanical damage Activities that result in habitat loss and degradation Pollution Increase in water turbidity Terrestrial run-off of effluents (including from agricultural practices) Invasion by non-native species (such as Caulerpa racemosa) Bottom trawling Anchoring Dredging works Thermal effluents Deleterious effects that may arise from fish farm and tuna pens
Cystosiera Communities	Organic pollution Dumping Fishing Changes in sedimentation/current regime due to developments
Cladocora caespitosa Banks	Over-collecting Pollution Mechnical damage by anchors and fishing gear Smothering by sedimentation from development
Coralligene Communities	Bottom trawling Dumping Changes in sedimentation regime due to land-use change
Maerl Communities	Bottom trawling Possible dumping Pollution Invasion by non-native species