LIFE+ Life Saving Buskett: Ecological restoration of valley watercourse and other habitats at Buskett

Description: Removal of alien species that are competing with native species; planting of new trees characteristic of the targeted habitats; the introduction of soil stabilisation measures; restoration of footpaths to reduce damage from random trampling by visitors; the retaining walls and arched buttresses along the watercourse have been repaired, restored and/or rebuilt; selective removal of silt and boulders from parts of the watercourse that are affecting negatively the targeted habitats. (The Life Saving Buskett, 2018).

Country: Malta

City: The Buskett-Girgenti Natura 2000 site

City size: Siġġiewi (1998 ha) Ħad-Dingli (569 ha) Ir-Rabat (2673 ha)

Population: Siggiewi - 8,581; Had-Dingli-3,689; Ir-Rabat-11,375

start: 2015

Timeframe: 3 years

Phase: Complete

Nature-based solutions (NBS) : No

Initiator: Ambjent Malta

Website source: https://msdec.gov.mt/en/Ambjent_Malta/Pages/buskett.aspx , lifesavingbuskett.org.mt/life-saving-buskett/

Latitude: 35.8590

Longitude: 14.3988

Co-benefits

Increased infiltration, water retention and flood protection

Yes, natural regulation of floods and storms via natural retention and absorption capabilities of vegetation and soil. The retaining walls and arched buttresses along the watercourse were repaired, restored and/or rebuilt. Such soil stabilisation measure, apart from consolidating the definition of the watercourse itself will reduce the deposition and sedimentation of soil and debris on the watercourse coming down from the valley sides. The introduction of soil stabilisation measures which include repairing, restoring/rebuilding retaining walls along the watercourse (not included in Action above) and those that support the substratum on the valley sides. Other soil stabilisation measures, such as the placing of geo-textile material, mulches over exposed areas, and dead wood to serve as obstruction structures were also put in place. The action at the upper sides of the valley will complement the interventions along the watercourse since the down slope movement of soil and debris is checked at various levels on the sides of the valley. Selective removal of silt and boulders from parts of the watercourse that are affecting negatively the targeted habitats. (Life Saving Buskett, 2018).

Improved air quality

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

Reduced drought risk, cooling effect, urban heat island mitigation

Yes, parks with vegetation, especially trees, can reduce the urban heat island in the park as well as the area surrounding the park, sometimes for a distance as great as the diameter of the park (Nowak, Heisler, 2010).

Biodiversity conservation or increased biodiversity

Yes, through the removal of invasive alien plants (Ailanthus altissima, Vitis spp., Agave spp. and Ricinus communis) and restoration of degraded habitats which are expected to lead to an improvement in biodiveristy conservation (Life Saving Buskett, 2018).

Increased quality and quantity of green and blue infrastructures

Yes, through the restoration of habitats and the removal of alien species (Life Saving Buskett, 2018).

Original problems

Drought and heat risk

The Mediterranean Region is considered as a "hot-spot" of climate change, having been identified in global climate scenarios as one of the most responsive regions to climate change (Lionello and Scarascia, 2018). There is a consensus in scientific literature that average temperatures will rise across most of the Mediterranean Region, and that precipitation will decrease (Ulbrich et al. 2013; Lionello and Scarascia, 2018). Observed annual mean temperatures in the Mediterranean Region are now 1.4 °C higher than the average late-nineteenth-century levels particularly during the summer months (Cramer et al., 2018).

Loss of biodiversity

Yes, habitats within the Buskett protected area are under a number of pressures and threats arising from soil erosion, invasive species, intensive agricultural practices, unregulated visitor access and overexploitation of species (ERA, 2013).

Ecosystem degradation

Limited knowledge about biodiversity

The Malta National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) reports that the results of the Eurobarometer Surveys on Attitudes of Europeans towards Biodiversity in 2007 and 2010 indicate that 14.4% and 18% respectively of Maltese respondents had heard of the term “biodiversity” and knew what it meant. A survey commissioned by MEPA in 2011 indicates that out of the 500 persons interviewed, 24.6% of Maltese respondents heard of the term “biodiversity” and knew what it meant. In general there is a need to continue enhancing biodiversity awareness and gain more knowledge on the meaning of ‘biodiversity’ (ERA, 2018d).

SDGs

Terrestrial biodiversity (SDG15)

Yes, this project has led to the protection of habitats of conservation value at Buskett and included afforestation using indigenous shrubs (>1600 shrubs) (Life Saving Buskett, 2018).

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. Retrieved from: doi: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.

ERA. 2013. L-Inħawi tal- Buskett u tal-Girgenti: Natura 2000 Management Plan (SAC/SPA). Information obtained: 2019-10-23. Available at: https://era.org.mt/en/Documents/L-Inhawi_tal-Buskett_u_tal-Girgenti_ManagementPlan.pdf.

ERA. 2018d. State of the Environment Report 2018: Chapter 8: Biodiversity. Reporting status from 2009 to 2015. Information obtained: 2019-11-08. Available at: https://era.org.mt/en/Documents/Chapter8_Biodiversity_04Dec18.pdf.

Life Saving Buskett. 2018. Life Saving Buskett Project. Information obtained: 2019-11-08. Available at: http://lifesavingbuskett.org.mt/life-saving-buskett/.

Lionello, P., Scarascia, L. 2018. The relation between climate change in the Mediterranean region and global warming. In Regional Environmental Change, 2018, Volume 18, Issue 5, pp 1481–1493.

Nowak, D.J., Heisler, G.M. 2010. Air Quality Effects of Urban Trees and Parks. Information obtained: 2019-11-11. Available at: https://www.nrpa.org/uploadedFiles/nrpa.org/Publications_and_Research/Research/Papers/Nowak-Heisler-Research-Paper.pdf.

Ulbrich U, Xoplaki E, Dobricic S, García-Herrera R, Lionello P, Adani M, Baldi M, Barriopedro D, Coccimiglio P, Dalu G, Efthymiadis D, Gaetani M, Galati MB, Gimeno L, Goodess CM, Jones PD, Kuglitsch FG, Leckebusch GC, Luterbacher J, Marcos-Moreno M, Mariotti A, Nieto R, Nissen KM, Pettenuzzo D, Pinardi N, Pino C, Shaw AGP, Sousa P, Toreti A, Trigo RM, Tsimplis M. 2013. Past and current climate changes in the Mediterranean region. In: Navarra A, Tubiana L (eds) Regional Assessment of Climate Change in the Mediterranean. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 9–52. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-5781-3_2.