Just days after the Malta Tourism Authority published details of a new management plan promising stronger protection, monitoring and coordinated enforcement at Ċirkewwa Marine Park, the Malta Ranger Unit has announced that it is stopping its monitoring of the area with immediate effect.
The timing leaves one very important question:
Who will now be watching what happens on the water?
On 14 August, the Malta Tourism Authority published details of the Ċirkewwa Marine Park Management Plan, describing a framework intended to move Malta’s first Marine Park towards active protection, management and sustainable use.
The plan includes measures aimed at protecting marine habitats, improving diver safety, monitoring biodiversity and strengthening coordination between the authorities responsible for the area.
Read the Malta Tourism Authority announcement here.
Malta Ranger Unit stops monitoring Ċirkewwa
The Malta Ranger Unit has now announced that a decision was taken by the Ċirkewwa Marine Park Management Council and the Malta Tourism Authority not to extend the NGO’s collaboration.
According to the Rangers, the new management agreement for the Marine Park begins on 1 September and the Malta Ranger Unit has not been included.
Importantly, the organisation said the reason given to it was not related to the quality of the work carried out by its Rangers.
The MRU chose not to go into further detail about the reason.
It also said it was not aware of what arrangements would replace its monitoring of suspected illegal activity in the area, saying questions about the way forward would need to be answered by the Malta Tourism Authority or the Marine Park management.
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What were the Rangers actually doing?
The Malta Ranger Unit is not a police force and its Rangers do not replace the statutory authorities responsible for law enforcement.
Their work involves monitoring areas, documenting suspected infringements and reporting them to the competent authorities.
According to the organisation, its work at Ċirkewwa included monitoring and reporting:
- Illegal spearfishing at night
- Illegal laying of fishing nets
- Speeding vessels
- Potential dangers to divers
- Other suspected illegalities affecting the Marine Park
The Rangers also carried out educational work, informing members of the public about legislation applying within the conservation area.
Monitoring was not restricted to normal daytime hours. The MRU says its Rangers operated during both the day and night and were equipped and trained to document suspected infringements so that evidence could be passed to the relevant authorities.
The Rangers say the situation had improved
The Malta Ranger Unit says its reports contributed to what it described as near-zero occurrences of some of the more serious offences it had encountered, while speeding vessels remained one of the principal challenges.
The organisation also says divers had reported seeing marine life returning after illegal activity in the area was reduced.
These are claims made by the Malta Ranger Unit. Malta Gone Wild has not independently measured changes in offences or marine biodiversity within the Marine Park.
A new plan promising “continued monitoring”
This is where the timing becomes particularly relevant.
In its announcement concerning the new Marine Park Management Plan, the Malta Tourism Authority described the framework as moving Ċirkewwa from legal designation towards active protection and management.
The Management Council brings together several entities, including the Environment and Resources Authority, Malta Tourism Authority, Transport Malta and Nature Trust Malta.
The plan covers protection of marine habitats and species, research, recreational activities, monitoring and coordination between the authorities.
Environment Minister Miriam Dalli also stressed when discussing the plan that protecting a marine area cannot simply stop at drawing boundaries on a map, and referred specifically to shared responsibilities and continued monitoring.
Read the official Ċirkewwa Marine Park Management Plan announcement.
So what replaces the Rangers?
The departure of the Malta Ranger Unit does not mean that official enforcement responsibilities at Ċirkewwa have disappeared.
The Police, Transport Malta, ERA, fisheries authorities and other competent bodies retain their respective responsibilities.
However, the decision does leave legitimate questions about the practical monitoring previously being carried out by Rangers on the ground and at the water’s edge.
If the new Marine Park Management Plan is intended to strengthen active protection, divers and other users of the area deserve to know:
- Who will carry out regular physical monitoring?
- Will personnel regularly be present at the Marine Park?
- Will monitoring continue at night, when offences such as illegal night spearfishing may occur?
- Who will document suspected infringements before referring them to the competent authorities?
- How frequently will patrols take place?
- What should divers or members of the public do when they witness suspected illegal activity?
- Will the replacement arrangements provide the same level of monitoring previously carried out by the Malta Ranger Unit?
These are not accusations.
They are reasonable questions following the introduction of a management plan whose own objectives include active protection and continued monitoring.
MRU: Report incidents directly to the authorities
The Malta Ranger Unit has made its position clear.
It says it will no longer monitor Ċirkewwa Marine Park and will no longer assist with reports concerning the area.
People witnessing suspected illegalities at Ċirkewwa are instead being urged by the organisation to report them to the Malta Tourism Authority or the management of the Marine Park.
The MRU has said that should its services be requested again by the Malta Tourism Authority in the future, it would make its Rangers available.
Its work will continue in other conservation areas where environmental and diving-related issues have been highlighted.
Want to support the Malta Ranger Unit?
The Malta Ranger Unit describes itself as an independent NGO which relies on public donations to finance its operations.
According to its official donation page, contributions help cover costs connected with environmental monitoring, equipment, uniforms, court-case preparation and expanding Ranger operations.
If you value the work carried out by the Rangers across Malta and Gozo, there are several ways to contribute directly to the organisation.
Patreon: Support can start from €1 per month.
Bank or Revolut donation: The Rangers ask supporters to contact them directly for the relevant details.
WhatsApp: +356 7937 8118
Email: info@rangers.mt
Donation links above lead directly to the Malta Ranger Unit’s official donation channels.
Protection needs people on the ground
Creating Malta’s first Marine Park and establishing a formal management plan are important steps for marine conservation.
But ultimately, the success of a protected area will be measured by what happens in the water, not simply by what appears in a management document.
Rules are far more effective when there is a realistic prospect that infringements will be observed, documented and reported.
This becomes especially important in a marine environment, where illegal fishing, speeding vessels and potentially dangerous interaction between boats and divers can be difficult to detect without people actively monitoring the area.
The new Ċirkewwa Marine Park Management Plan promises active protection and continued monitoring.
With the Malta Ranger Unit now withdrawing from Ċirkewwa, the authorities should explain clearly who will provide that monitoring, how frequently it will take place and how the public should report what they see.
Because announcing stronger protection while losing an established monitoring presence inevitably leaves questions that deserve clear answers.
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