Sicily and the Maltese Islands form an important link for the ecological connectivity of the central Mediterranean migratory route between Europe and Africa. However, human pressure, through intensive agriculture and urbanization, has resulted in the degradation of the cross-border corridor area leading to fragmentation and decline in its ecological value, with negative consequences on the region’s rich biodiversity.

The Ministry for Gozo is participating in an Italia- Malta EU Project entitled SIMBIOTIC. The aims of the project are to enhance the ecological integrity, connectivity and management effectiveness of protected area landscapes in the Syracuse-Gozo cross border area.

The project endeavours to promote concepts of restoration ecology. It comprises landscape scale approach based on the notion of restoration ecology of selected sites, with a view to create potential stepping-stones for local biota.

The project in Gozo embarked on a novel concept for the Maltese Islands. It consists of landscape-level restoration based on the notion of restoration ecology of abandoned and degraded sites to create potential stepping-stones for local flora and fauna.

Following extensive baseline biodiversity studies, indigenous vegetation will be planted according to the site-specifc characteristics of the area, including phytosociology. The four sites chosen in Gozo to be restored are in Xewkija, Ta-Lambert, It-Taksis and at Ghammar.

The scope of this initiative is to encourage natural regeneration in the restored sites and possible regeneration in adjacent areas and biotopes.

The four SIMBIOTIC partners, are The Institute of Earth Systems, the Ministry for Gozo, the University of Catania and the Comune dì Pachino, Sicily.

The Institute of Earth Systems, University of Malta and the Ministry for Gozo invite the general public and interested parties to participate in a SIMBIOTIC Stakeholder Workshop and a SIMBIOTIC Open Day.

Dialogue for integrated planning and policy Participatory stakeholder involvement is a key aspect for the successful implementation of a project. Dialogue with persons interested in the project was established through various initiatives, including specialist stakeholder workshop and surveys. Restoration actions were designed with the participation of both the private and public sector.

The SIMBIOTIC Stakeholder Workshop will take place on Thursday, the 29th of November, at the Hotel Ta’ Cenc, Sannat, between 7.00pm and 9.00pm.

The programme is as follows:

19:00: Registration and stand-up reception

19:35: Opening address by the Ministry for Gozo

19:40: Project description presentation

20:00: Perception survey of opportunities and constraints in landscape restoration in four sites in Gozo

20:10: Presentation describing the works carried out in the Gozo sites

20:30: Discussion.

The SIMBIOTIC Open Day will take place on Saturday, the 1st of December, at the Government Experimental Farm, Xewkija, from 9.30am until 2.00pm.

The programme is as follows:

09:30: Presentation on the use of indigenous plant species within the ambit of the SIMBIOTIC project by Edwin Lanfranco

10:00: Presentation on the biodiversity and ecological signifcance of the Gozo-Pachino case study areas by Dr Isabella Colombini

10:30: Presentation on the local carob and oak varieties by Adrian Bugeja-Douglas and Marie-Louise Zammit

11:00: Presentation on the transboundary avifaunal migratory route between Malta and Sicily by Dr Natalino Fenech

11:45: Refreshments

13:00: Tour of Ta’ Lambert Site guided by David Dandria

A limited number of indigenous trees will be available, for free, to SIMBIOTIC OPEN DAY participants (until stocks last).

You are kindly requested to register your participation by sending an email to Mr. David Dandria on david.dandria@gov.mt by not later than Tuesday, 27th November.

Permalink: SIMBIOTIC Stakeholder Workshop and Open Day in Gozo