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| How is man threatening the coast |
A number of human activities are harming the coastal environment. These include: |
| Offroading – Special vehicles (called ORV's – Offroad vehicles) are driven over fragile coastal habitats, including clay slopes. As a result, the clay particles are loosened and can be blown away by the wind or washed away by the rain more easily, leading to a loss of part of the coast (coastal erosion). In addition, animals and plants found in these habitats are trampled upon when cars are parked directly on beaches. |
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| Pollution – Some pollutants released by man (e.g.: oils from boat and ship engines, plastics, wood) take a long time to degrade since these are not biodegradable (capable of decomposing (breaking down) rapidly under natural conditions). As a result, these pollutants persist for a long time in the environment and are visually annoying, besides being a threat to coastal organisms, including turtles , fish and shore birds. |
The release of sewage is also a major concern in coastal areas, since this leads to a number of human illnesses in bathers, such as dysentery. In addition, when landfills /dumps are found close to the sea, hazardous material, such as toxic heavy metals (e.g.: mercury, lead, copper and zinc) may leach out after heavy rainfall into the sea, making it unsuitable for swimming. When large quantities of nutrients accumulate in bays and coastal areas with restricted water movement and currents, a thick canopy of algae may form at the surface. These algae cut off light to the lower depths and absorb most of the available dissolved oxygen, which results in mass fish mortalities. This process is known as eutrophication .
Over-development – Ribbon development refers to the development of a narrow stretch of land along vast coastal stretches, mainly in the form of ‘second homes' or ‘summer houses'. This is unsustainable in a small, densely-populated archipelago like the Maltese one, where one-fourth of all dwellings are empty for most of the year. The development of harbours and yacht marinas is also a cause for concern since it destroys a number of coastal environments, whilst releasing into the sea harmful substances such as anti-fouling paints. |
| Industrial development – This includes the development of power stations, ports and shipyards.
Tourism – Although tourism is important for the economies of many countries, including Malta , when this activity is not properly planned, it may harm coastal environments.For example, many hotels are built right at the coast and their development, besides destroying coastal ecosystems, might interfere with the wind transport of sand which is so important for the survival of sand dunes and beaches.Tourists increase the human presence at the beach, therefore, increasing the risks of trampling on fragile organisms. |
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Some beaches are cleared of the remains of dead seagrass, which tends to accumulate and form banquettes . These banquettes are important to fight beach erosion in winter, as they protect the beach from the destructive forces of storm waves. They also act as ecosystems for specialized organisms and as a source of food for coastal organisms. Unfortunately, many people think that we should clean beaches of banquettes as these tend to stink. This is because such people do not know of the important role played by banquettes in saving our beaches from erosion. |
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