Ġnejna Bay: A fading paradise
On a sunny October day, as part of our course of studies, we went for a
fieldwork trip to Ġnejna Bay. Whilst performing our fieldwork at the bay
we realised that the attractive beach was being destroyed by both
physical and human factors, so we were inspired to put forward our
concerns by writing this article.
Ġnejna bay is one of the few sandy beaches in Malta. It is a fishing area
known for traditional methods of fishing, whereas, for those that like
hiking, its headlands are a must.
Ġnejna bay is found in the North West of Malta. The bay is surrounded
by two headlands; Ras il-Pellegrin headland to the South and the
Qarraba headland to the North. The word “Ġnejna”, literally means “little
garden”. Hence, our reference to a paradise where the green fertile
valleys meet on the beach to create an inimitable landscape.
Nonetheless, this paradise is being threatened by human activity.
The bay is an exit to the two valleys of Wied Ġnejna and Wied Ħmar
(from Wied Santi). Sediment is washed down into the bay from the two
watercourses. However, as the watercourses are surrounded by fields,
some of these fields trap part of the water in reservoirs and behind
dams which have been constructed in order to control the flow of water
in a more efficient way; (Magro 1996). Consequently, farmers have a
constant supply for irrigation, but at the same time, less sediment is
reaching the beach, making it more vulnerable to wave erosion.
Nevertheless, what most
attracted our attention at the
bay were the boathouses
found at Ras il-Pellegrin
headland. These boathouses
were built illegally by digging
through the soft Globigerina
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Limestone on the side of the headland. These boathouses are used by
fishermen and their families to store fishing equipment and for their
personal use.
As we walked through the labyrinth of boathouses, we came across a
number of jetties. These jetties surprisingly provide a method of
protection against the waves, thus, protecting the headland from
erosion. On the other hand, this means that less material is reaching
the beach, thus, again making it more vulnerable to wave erosion.
Littering has also become
an issue every time we
revisited the beach. The
amount of litter increased
every time we were at the
bay. At the exit of Wied
Ġnejna the litter is then
washed into the sea which
harms the wild life.
Alas! Local pressures are not the only threat to the ecological balance
at Ġnejna Bay. A well known effect of global warming is sea-level rise,
due to thermal expansion and the melting of the ice caps in Polar
Regions. On an undeveloped beach, sea-level rise will probably result
in the inland transgression of the beach; (Abela 1999). However, at
Ġnejna, despite being fairly undeveloped, at the back of the beach is a
car park which might inhibit this transgression. Whatever the result, sealevel rise at Ġnejna will undoubtedly affect the drainage and ecology of
the area as salt water will eventually enter the valleys.
Another major threat of global warming identified by Axiak (1992) is the
impact of climate change on the marine grass known as Posidonia
Oceanica.
‘… Posidonia oceania meadows … form extensive prairies of high
productivity and support a rich community of animals, including
economically important fish and molluscs. Posidonia meadows
locally extend to relatively deep waters and possibly its lower limit
is one of the deepest recorded in the Mediterranean. This is
because of our extremely clear waters and the subsequent
increased light availability in the lower layers.’ (Axiak 1992)
However, as the sea-level rises its habitat will eventually restrict itself.
Additionally, when it comes to climate change for the Maltese Islands in
the ‘worst-case scenario’ it is expected that:
‘There will be no change in the annual mean rates of rainfall, but
there will be a significant change in the seasonal precipitation
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pattern, so that winter and spring may have lower rainfalls but
autumn rainfall, and possibly the severity of the autumn rain
storms, will increase.(Axiak 1992)
This will lead to:
‘During the autumn and winter rain storms, significantly increased
turbidity at some coastal localities... due to increased sediment
inputs… These localities include coastal areas lined with clay
slopes such as … Gnejna Bay.’
‘Marine grass meadows are particularly sensitive to reduced
water transparency and the upper limits of the extensive present
meadows at these localities may be expected to retreat to greater
depths…’ (Axiak 1992)
The problem caused by the loss of Posidonia Oceanica is not only that
of losing a habitat but, as well, it will lead to an increased erosion of the
coastline, as these marine grass meadows act as a buffer, reducing the
strength of the waves.
After writing this report our hope is that climate change and sea-level
rise will be taken more seriously in these Islands. As we were doing our
research we found out that there is little information about the actual
risks of climate change on the Maltese Islands, especially on the
impacts of sea-level rise on Maltese beaches and the consequent
threats to the ecologically important habitats that these beaches
sustain. This is especially important when considering that ‘sandy
beaches are few and constitute only 2% of the coastline’, (Axiak
1992).
References
 Magro, J. 1996. Sediment processes at Ġnejna Bay. B.A. (Hons)
GEOG. University of Malta.
 Abela, R. 1999. Relative sea level change: a coastal vulnerability
assessment of Malta. M.A. GEOG. University of Malta.
 Axiak, V. 1992. Implications of Expected Climatic Changes on the
Islands of Malta. Identification and Assessment of Possible Climatic
Change on Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. Mediterranean
Action Plan.
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