Gnejna Bay has been declared an Emergency Conservation Area (ECA) after the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) issued an Emergency Conservation Order (G.N.683/12), to ensure that the maximum protection is rendered to the site where a marine turtle laid a number of eggs on Wednesday.

The Emergency Conservation Order prohibits a number of activities from being carried out in the designated area including:

vehicular parking and use of caravans in the ECA; excessive noise and loud music; no music is allowed between 20:00 hrs and 08:00 hrs; camping, campfires, barbeques, any other open fires, or any large organised events are not permissible at all times;

no animals shall be allowed on the Gnejna bay;

offroading;

only manual beach cleaning is allowed, and this is not allowed in the areas cordoned off, unless there is prior consultation with MEPA;

beach users shall not trespass any enclosures at all times;

any large, deep holes left by beach users shall be filled in before leaving the area.

The Emergency Conservation order, which is valid for the next 6 months unless otherwise revoked by the Authority, was issued after consultation with the Ministry for Tourism, Culture and the Environment; Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs; the Mgarr Local Council; and Nature Trust (Malta).

A surveillance system has been in place since yesterday. Such surveillance system is operated jointly by MEPA, MRRA and Nature Trust (Malta).

The general public is invited to report any evidence of marine turtles or turtle activity to MEPA on 22907102 during office hours; or else contact MEPA on 99210404 or 99381811 or via e-mail at nature.requests@mepa.org.mt.

A note on Marine Turtle in Malta, their Nesting & Protection

The loggerhead turtle (Maltese: il-fekruna l-komuni), scientifically known as Caretta caretta, is a marine reptile which is strictly protected by a number of national and international legislation. These include the local Flora, Fauna and Natural Habitat Protection Regulations, 2006 (Legal Notice 311 of 2006 as amended), the EU Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora, the Council of Europe’s Bern Convention and the United Nations’ Bonn and Barcelona Conventions. Capture, killing, taking, keeping, trade and the deliberate disturbance of these species, particularly during the period of breeding, rearing and migration, is prohibited.

As to turtle nesting, the nesting event on the 20th June 2012 at Il-Gnejna, marks the return of this species in Malta after about a century.

The latest confirmed scientific record of a turtle laying its eggs in the Maltese Islands was recorded back in the 1915. There are various later unconfirmed records, from Malta, Gozo and Comino, but none are scientifically substantiated.

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