Inwadar Park - Habitat restoration of site at Golf il-Kbir

Description: Habitat restoration, removal of litter, removal of invasive alien species and planting of indigenous riparian trees and shrubs.

Country: Malta

City: Hal Qormi

City size: 505 ha

Population: 16500

start: 2020

Timeframe: Planting took place during quarter 1 of 2020

Phase: Complete

Nature-based solutions (NBS) : No

Initiator: Ambjent Malta

Latitude: 35.8762

Longitude: 14.5663

Co-benefits

Improved air quality

Yes, tree and woodland cover was associated with air quality improvement ecosystem services (Balzan et al., 2018).

Biodiversity conservation or increased biodiversity

Yes, increasing green areas, enhance the potential for biodiversity and ecosystem service provisioning (Threlfall et al; 2017).

Ecosystem restoration and/or improved ecological connectivity

Yes, one of the aims of this restoration programme is to increase the vegetation cover by planting Mediterranean trees.

Increased quality and quantity of green and blue infrastructures

Yes, green infrastructure, by increasing green areas through implementation of Mediterranean native species.

Original problems

Drought and heat risk

Yes, the Mediterranean Basin is undergoing a warming trend with longer and warmer summers, an increase in the frequency and the severity of heat waves, changes in precipitation patterns and a reduction in rainfall amounts (Linares et al; 2020).

Loss of biodiversity

Yes

Ecosystem degradation

Yes, data from The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BES) index (2020) indicates that Malta is one of the highest in the world for the fragility of its biodiversity and ecosystems.

Low aesthetic value

Yes

SDGs

Terrestrial biodiversity (SDG15)

Yes

Reference: Balzan, M. V., Caruana, J., Zammit, A. 2018. Assessing the capacity and flow of ecosystem services in multifunctional landscapes : Evidence of a rural-urban gradient in a Mediterranean small island state. Land Use Policy, 75, 711–725. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.08.025.

Cramer, W., Guiot, J., Fader, M., Garrabou, J., Gattuso, J.-P., Iglesias, A., Lange, M.A., Lionello , P., Llasat , M.C., Paz, S., Peñuelas, J., Snoussi, M., Toreti , A., Tsimplis, M.N., Xoplaki, E. 2018. Climate change and interconnected risks to sustainable development in the Mediterranean. Nature Climate Change. doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0299-2.

Linares, C., Díaz, J., Negev, M., Martínez, G.S., Debono, R. and Paz, S. 2020. Impacts of climate change on the public health of the Mediterranean Basin population - current situation, projections, preparedness and adaptation. Environmental Research, 182:109107 Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.109107.

Swiss Re institute (2020) Available at: https://www.swissre.com/media/news-releases/nr-20200923-biodiversity-and-ecosystems-services.html