Application of function analysis to bathing areas in the Maltese Islands

Abstract

On a small island such as Malta where many developers and policy makers place a large emphasis on social use and development values, which encourages recrea- tional/industrial development, it is often hard to promote the monetary value of coastal conservation due to strong compe- tition with the large tourism industry. An assessment of the ecological (conservation) and economic (use/development) values of four popular Maltese bathing areas (Mellieha, St. George's, Ramla and Ghajn Tuffieha Bay) was carried out by evaluating their ability to provide a number of functions. This is dependent on the environments' inherent characteris- tics within the context of locally applicable time and space functions. Function Analysis is an innovative technique able to provide a means for assessing changes in environmental quality of an area and evaluating the sustainability of applied management regimes. This paper is a first example of an application of the Functional Analysis approach in Malta. Local application of this technique indicates a need for additional refinement in application to coastal areas. Analy- sis showed that St. George's, had the lowest conservation value, Ramla and Ghajn Tuffieha bay had the highest conser- vation values, Mellieha Bay had high conservation value and use/development potential. In this context, conservation value is understood to reflect values of biodiversity, information / knowledge and environmental quality.