The flora and fauna of the Naxxar area

Abstract

The Naxxar area occupies approximately 10.5 km2 of land in the northern part of Malta, covering over 3 per cent of total national territory. The region covered by this locality is very diverse in terms of habitat, comprising a wide range of ecosystems. This considerable habitat diversity stems from the conformation of the region, where a relatively long coastline(> 6.25 km) occurs in conjunction with extensive inland penetration (> 5 .2 km). Moreover, the area is geologically varied, leading to further habitat heterogeneity. Much of this habitat diversity only persists in isolated patches, since anthropogenic influence is considerable. Approximately 20 per cent of the total area of Naxxar is intensively urbanized whilst much of what remains is cultivated. Extensive tracts of land have also been given over to rock quarrying and dumping, further reducing the cumulative area of natural landscapes in the area.