While the Maltese Islands are celebrated for their rich history, crystal-clear waters and vibrant towns, they are also home to extraordinary natural landscapes. Within a span of 316km² live more than 7500 indigenous species of flora and fauna. Landscapes vary from dramatic limestone cliffs, to valleys, countryside, coves, harbours and rare coastal habitats, all of which are best experienced slowly.
Yet, the rarity of the Maltese Islands’ landscape goes hand-in-hand with its vulnerability, caused by pressures of human intervention, including population growth, urbanisation, pollution, over-tourism, invasive species, and climate change. These pressures, when paired with Malta’s limited natural habitats, emphasise the importance of conserving these landscapes to protect natural habitats from human impact and to conserve the land’s biodiversity.
As tourism continues to grow, this raises an important question: How can our visit leave no trace and not leave a place worse than we found it?
For Malta, this can take the form of slowing down, leaving the engine behind, and exploring on foot.
Malta’s greatest strength is also one of its greatest challenges. Given Malta’s relatively small size, every natural landscape in Malta matters.
Legislations to Protect Habitats and Species
Despite covering just 316 km², the Maltese Islands are home to more than 7500 indigenous species of flora and fauna. The Maltese Islands have 29.11% (92km²) of their area classified as protected under one or more designations, including 13.8% (over 43.6km2) of land area forming part of the EU Natura 2000 network of protected areas.
Titles, such as Natura 2000, Areas of Ecological Importance and Sites of Scientific Importance, aim to ensure habitats’ protection, and ethical conservation and rehabilitation by respective bodies. Protection, conservation and rehabilitation do not exclude human activity, but are to be enjoyed by the public in a responsible manner.
Coastal habitats are especially vulnerable, with less than 2.5% of the coast of the Maltese Islands being sandy beaches. It follows that coastal sand dunes are very uncommon, being classified as Malta’s rarest and, simultaneously, the most threatened ecosystems
Sand Dunes: Small Ecosystems with Big Importance
Sand dunes develop gradually through the natural movement of wind, sand and waves. What is distinct about sand dune habitats is that no soil is present. Instead, they are stabilised by specialised low-lying grasses, trees and shrubs, also known as ‘psammophiles’, that grow extensive root systems and that can withstand the dry, hot and saline conditions near the sea.
Sand dunes are important as they help protect inland areas from coastal erosion and storms, while providing a habitat for flora and fauna. Therefore, conserving and rehabilitating sand dunes is important to support biodiversity in an island environment where natural habitats, especially sand dunes, are already limited or have disappeared in time. Indeed, sand dunes are particularly fragile habitats as vegetation is easily crushed and, once plants are damaged, the sand becomes unstable and the habitat can take many years to recover.
The sand dune’s distance from the beach determines the type of vegetation that grows, forming zonation patterns. The zone closest to the sea is an embryo dune, characterised by perennial plants, such as the Sea Rocket (MT: Kromb il-Baħar; SN: Cakile maritima), that contribute to the establishment and stability to the rest of the zones.
Following the embryo dune is the low-lying and sparsely-vegetated mobile dune, including plants such as the Sand Couch Grass (MT: is-Sikrana tar-Ramel; SN: Thinopyrum junceum) and the Sea Holly (MT: Xewk ir-Ramel; SN: Eryngium maritimum).
Further away from the coast, one would find plants including the Coastal Spurge (MT: Tengħud tax-Xatt; SN: Euphorbia terracina), the Sea Daffodil (MT: il-Pankrazju tal-baħar; SN: Pancratium maritimum) and the Sea Fennel (MT: Bużbież il-baħar; SN: Echinophora spinosa) in the semi-consolidated dune. The last zone is called the fixed dune, which is densely shrubbed with salt-tolerant plants, including the Grey Birdsfoot Trefoil (MT: Għantux tal-Blat; SN: Lotus cytisoides) and the Southern Scabious (MT: il-kuxxinetti; SN: Scabiosa maritima).
The protection and rehabilitation of habitats like sand dunes is not only ethical, but also part of national and international law. The Sea Daffodil (Maltese: Pankrazju; Scientific name: Pancratium maritimum) is listed as a plant needing strict protection in Malta in the Flora, Fauna and Natural Habitats Regulations, irrespective of whether it is in a sand dune or not. On the other hand, the Euphorbia terracina (Coastal Spurge) is listed as a species of national interest whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation, which in this case, are sand dunes.
Places, such as Ramla l-Ħamra in Gozo, Għadira Nature Reserve, Għajn Tuffieħa and the dunes of Santa Marija Bay in Comino are therefore far more than beautiful beaches. They are living landscapes of national and European importance, all being protected as Natura 2000 sites.
An example of a recent restoration effort is Ramla tal-Mixquqa (Golden Bay), part of Majjistral Nature Park, which is classified as a “Protected Beach” by the Maltese Environment and Resource Authority (ERA) . These efforts have led to the natural recolonisation of the area by indigenous dune species, some of which are considered endangered across the Maltese Islands, such as the Sea Daffodil, Sea Holly (Maltese: Xewk ir-ramel; Scientific name: Eryngium maritimum) and the Capitate Galingale (Maltese: Bordi tar-ramel; Scientific name: Cyperus capitatus).
Behaviours you can avoid to help protect these beautiful areas
Most of the Maltese sand dunes are now protected by physical barriers, such as wooden poles and low-impact fences. However, their closeness with sandy beaches, that tend to get very crowded during summer months, makes them vulnerable to dangerous behaviours, such as littering or trampling. Abandoned plastic on the beach, for example, very easily moves to the protected areas with the first wind coming from the sea. Even with the fences, sometimes accidental trampling might happen as well. Invasive alien species also pose a threat by competing with indigenous flora.
However, sand dunes are not the only habitat endangered by human passage. For example, off-roading is a popular outdoor activity. This type of motorised recreation undoubtedly offers adventure, but in sensitive natural environments, it can come at a significant ecological cost.
Vehicle tyres compress soil, destroy vegetation and create tracks that interrupt natural processes. On fragile coastal habitats, such as sand dunes, even a single drive-over can crush plants that have taken years to establish themselves. Repeated vehicle-use fragments habitats, accelerates erosion and leaves visible scars that persist long after the vehicles have gone. Noise generated by off-road vehicles may also disturb birds and other wildlife, particularly during breeding seasons, which is not ideal in natural areas where nature processes should be protected.
This is not simply an aesthetic issue. In small island ecosystems, habitat loss cannot easily be absorbed elsewhere. Every damaged dune, every disturbed coastal path and every newly formed vehicle track reduces the resilience of Malta’s already limited natural environment.
The damage on Maltese coastal areas is a central issue in the current public debate. You can read more and support Friends of the Earth Malta’s requests for a fairer governance through the Save Our Shores petition.
Walking and Hiking as a great way to explore the Maltese Islands
Malta’s relatively favourable climate enables one to hike at any time during the year, obviously ensuring adequate preparation for the sun, rain and/or wind, and being mindful of the heat, that in the central hours of summer days can get really intense. The islands’ topography offers the hiker with ample choice from various landscape types, ranging from coastal trails to cliffs, with these hikes varying in difficulty and length.
Hiking is one of the greatest ways to observe wildlife, native plants, geological features and possibly even historical artefacts within their contextual areas. For example, the Majjistral Nature and History Park is Malta’s largest protected area in the Northwest that includes cliffs, boulder scree, garigue, coastlines and valleys, alongside ancient tombs, military sites, and a medieval fort. When hiking through Malta’s countryside, you are bound to see the dry stone walls, which not only create a unique landscape, but also are of historical and ecological value, and whose conservation and upkeep has been mandated by law since 1997.
Here you can find some stunning hiking routes:
- On Visit Malta website: https://www.visitmalta.com/en/hikes-and-walks-malta-gozo/
- VisitGozo website: https://visitgozo.com/experience/hiking/
- Try the Malta Trek Deck: https://www.instagram.com/trekdeckmalta/
And if you are planning to hike around the beautiful Island of Comino, have a look at Friends of the Earth Malta’s project for an Environmental Education Hub in the heart of the island: www.kemmuna.org.
Undoubtedly, Malta’s natural beauty is best experienced at a slower pace.
Benefits of Walking and Hiking
One way of enjoying these sites, while connecting to the more-than-human world, is by walking and hiking. Walking and hiking allow for the discovery of new places that would otherwise be missed if explored by motor vehicles (e.g., car, motorbike or quadbike). Hiking has been described as a “cost-effective” way of “encourag[ing] people to be physically active while spending time in nature”, spending “time with social contacts”, sightseeing, and aiding the “restoration of mental and emotional health”. Indeed, people who hike are more likely to report that hiking does not feel like exercise or working out, but rather an enjoyable activity, as opposed to people who engage in physical exercise at the gym.
Exploring Malta Responsibly through Slow Tourism
To explore Malta responsibly, a good question to ask ourselves is: How can our visit contribute positively to the destination?
Indeed, enhancement is set to be complementary to the four approaches to mitigation in the mitigation hierarchy, being avoidance, minimisation, remediation and offsetting, as outlined in the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to 2030.
For Malta, this means encouraging tourism that supports habitat restoration, respects protected areas and promotes experiences that strengthen people’s appreciation of nature.
It also reflects the principle of intergenerational equity, being the idea that future generations deserve to inherit natural environments that are at least as healthy as those we enjoy today. Every decision made by visitors, tourism operators and policymakers influences whether Malta’s landscapes become more resilient or more vulnerable.
For policymakers, slow tourism presents an opportunity to prioritise low-impact recreation, strengthen visitor education, improve hiking infrastructure and continue protecting ecologically sensitive areas.
For tourism businesses, it offers opportunities to develop guided walks, nature interpretation, wildlife experiences and eco-friendly outdoor activities.
For visitors, it begins with simple choices:
- Starting slow if you never hiked before
- Bringing a buddy, especially if it is a new place
- Using hiking poles for balance
- Wearing comfortable shoes
- Summer: hat, sunscreen applied every 2 hours, sunglasses
- Winter, Spring, Autumn: if sunny, hat and sunglasses (and some sunscreen), raincoat, waterproof shoes
- Stay on marked trails
- Respect habitat restoration areas
- Avoid driving through sensitive natural landscapes
- Observe wildlife without disturbing it
- Take waste home, or dispose of it in the appropriate bin/s
- Bring plenty of water, and possibly a snack if hiking for a relatively long span of time
- Be mindful that mobile reception might not be available everywhere
- Report any wild fires, damaging activities or injured wildlife
The islands’ beauty has been shaped over thousands of years by geological forces, climate and biodiversity. Preserving that beauty requires us to move beyond simply visiting landscapes and towards actively caring for them.
Slow tourism reminds us that travel is not only about the places we discover, but also about the legacy we leave behind.
In Malta, perhaps the most meaningful journey begins when we leave the engine behind, slow our pace and choose the trail over the track.
Claire Bonello, YFoEM
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This campaign was created to raise awareness among tourists about our impact on the island. Malta is often advertised as a party destination, but it is also and especially a unique and fragile place, rich in natural beauty and facing serious challenges related to climate change and resource scarcity.
This article is part of the Tourist Tips for a Tired Island: the campaign on sustainable tourism carried out by the youth group Young Friends of the Earth Malta.
Sources and other links:
Environment & Resources Authority. (n.d.). List of protected areas.
Environment & Resources Authority. (n.d.). Maltese Landscapes & Geomorphology.
Environment & Resources Authority (2020, November 7). Overview of Important Natural Areas.
Environment & Resources Authority (2019, August 30). Terrestrial Habitats.
TVM News (2026, June 20). ERA action to safeguard sand dunes at Għadira Bay. TVMNews.
United Nations Environment Programme. (1995). Global biodiversity assessment.
