The local coastal and marine environment

Abstract

Our island status is an advantage to study the coastal and marine environment. In fact, with a coastline stretching for over 250 km and a less than 100-metre-deep marine area which is ten times the terrestrial area, the Maltese Islands must be considered as a top billing when it comes to the study of coastal and marine biology. This blessing is further bolstered by the fact that the islands are in the Mediterranean, a sea rich in marine biodiversity. Although the monk seal (bumerin - Monachus monachus) has long deserted our coastlines and no turtle-nesting beaches are found locally, our waters can still be considered as a treasure trove of life - in concert with the Johannesburg declaration (2002) of 2005-2014 as the Decade for Education on Sustainable Development, a greater recognition by the public of our coastal and marine resources is being promoted by an innovative marine course offered by the Foundation for International Studies (FIS) in Valletta.