News | Sunday, 30 August 2009

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Duck droppings killing Magħluq environment

James Debono
The government has embarked on controlling the duck population in the Maghluq saline marshlands in Marsaskala due to the effect their droppings are having on area’s ecosystem.
The marshland is part of the EU’s Natura 2000 network of protected sites, and the government has up to 2014 to satisfy the criteria on the management of this site.
After discussions with MEPA, the animal welfare department, and the Marsaskala local council, the government has decided to unblock an underground channel that connects the area to the sea, as well as studying ways of controlling the duck population.
Earlier this summer, the Wied il-Ghajn retailers’ association called on the authorities to take action on the recurrence of rotting fish appearing on the surface of the Maghluq waters.
The authorities blame the deteriorating state of the reserve on the blocked channel, as and on excessive nitrate levels from the droppings of ducks and geese, whose numbers according to MEPA are increasing at an alarming rate.
MEPA said the birds’ excrement inside the enclosed ecosystem was damaging the fauna and flora of the salty water pools.
Maghluq’s unique wetland environment is also threatened because water is not circulating between the wetlands and the sea. The connection of the Maghluq marshland and the sea is restricted to a narrow pipe passing beneath the road. The channel is often blocked with sediment and other debris, resulting in stagnant conditions.
Moreover the marsh is also receiving organic material from the surrounding agricultural fields, which increases the nitrate levels.
The authorities blame the blockage on roadworks which blocked the underground channel. Repeated attempts to re-open it in the past years proved unsuccessful.
MEPA has now applied for EU funds for a management plan for all Malta’s Natura 2000 sites, including the Maghluq marshland.
The site consists of two salt water pools, originally used as fish ponds, which now include populations of the very rare beaked tassel-pond weed, the vulnerable brackish water snail, and a small population of the endangered Killifish, as well as a sizeable populations of mullet.

jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt

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