GOZ024 - L-Ghadira ta' San Raflu
Description
Ghadira ta’ San Raflu is a natural freshwater pond, located in western Gozo, within San Lawrenz. The pond covers an area of approximately 1,170m2. The pond is accessible to the public by a surfaced road and is a well-known tourist destination. The pond is predominantly surrounded by agricultural land, however, the pond is not used for irrigation due to its cultural importance. Within the basin of the pond, Tamarix sp., Galactites tomentosa, Geranium mole and Calendula sicula (which is only found in San Raflu and Xlendi) were present. Both the Maltese native frog, Discoglossus pictus and the alien frog species, Pelophylax bedriagae were recorded on site. The latter was introduced in the 1990s and has since then established a permanent population within the pond. Other species present within the pond include, goldfish, ducks, terrapins and freshwater fish (such as Gambusia holbrooki), all of which have been introduced. The freshwater wetland is designated as an Area of Ecological Importance and a Site of Scientific Importance Protected Area (G.N. 288/95) and as a Special Area of Conservation – National Importance (G.N. 683/18).
Wetland data
Basic information
| Wetland location: | Inland |
| Wetland type: | Artificial |
| Wetland area: | 0.10 Ha |
| Hydrological interaction: | - |
| Water salinity: | Fresh (< 0.5 g/l) |
| Type of fresh water input: | Catchment area (precipitation) |
| Surface water runoff | Outflow controlled by pipeline |
| Open water area (%): | 76 - 95 |
| Hydroperiod: | Permanent |
Geographic information
| Census district: | Gozo and Comino |
| Island: | Gozo |
| Local council: | Ta' Kercem |
| Longitude: | 14.199030 East |
| Latitude: | 36.036640 North |
Biological significance
| Biological significance: | Low |
Ramsar wetland type
| Type | Coverage (%) |
| 7 -- Excavations; gravel/brick/clay pits; borrow pits, mining pools |
Property status
| Public |
| Protection status category | Protection status subcategory | Area's name | Code | Coverage area (%) | Legislation |
| National | Area of Ecological Importance/Site of Scientific Importance | Ghadajjar ta' l-ilma helu fl-Ghadira ta' Sarraflu (l/ta' Kercem, Ghawdex) | 14822 | 100 | Development Planning Act (Act VII of 2016) |
| National | Special Areas of Conservation - National Importance | L-Ghadira ta' Sarraflu (l/tal-Kercem) | 330742 | 100 | Environment Protection Act (Act I of 2016) |
| International | Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas | Xlendi Bay to Wardija Point Cliffs | MT010 | 100 | |
| International | Pools | Ghadira a' Sarraflu | MT SW 02 | 100 | Water Framework Directive |
CDDA protection status
| CDDA code | CDDA category |
| MT02 | Area of Ecological Importance/Site of Scientific Importance |
| MT10 | Special Areas of Conservation - National Importance |
Important bird areas
| IBA code | Site name | Coverage (%) | References |
| MT010 | Xlendi Bay to Wardija Point Cliffs | 100 |
Ecosystem services
| Type of ecosystem service | Ecosystem service | Scale of Βenefit (%) | Importance |
| Regulatory services | Flood hazard regulation | ||
| Provisioning services | Food | ||
| Provisioning services | Fresh water | ||
| Cultural services | Recreation and tourism | ||
| Regulatory services | Storm hazard regulation | ||
| Regulatory services | Water regulation |
Activities on wetland
| Activity | Intensity |
| 020 = Resource conservation | High |
| 130 = Irrigation | High |
| 701 = water pollution | High |
| 790 = Other pollution/human impacts/activities | Low |
| 910 = Silting up | Low |
Activities on catchment area
| Activity | Intensity |
| 100 = Cultivation | High |
| 110 = Use of pesticides | High |
| 120 = Fertilisation | High |
| 130 = Irrigation | High |
| 230 = Hunting | High |
| 301 = quarries | High |
| 502 = roads motorways | Medium |
| 701 = water pollution | High |
| 790 = Other pollution/human impacts/activities | Low |
Impacts
| Impact | Intensity |
| EB- = Increase in aesthetic qualities | High |
| ED- = Increase in sediment removal/retention | High |
| EE- = Increase of economic potential | High |
| ES- = Increase in water supply | Low |
| EU- = Increase of tourist/recreation potential | Low |
| FB- = Disruption of natural balance/interaction between faunal species | |
| PF- = Fertilizer/Excess nutrient pollution | |
| PP- = Pesticide pollution |
Vegetation types
| Type | Coverage (%) |
| Other | 5 - 25 |
| Shrubby / Arborescent | 26 - 50 |
Flora
| Species | Presence status | References |
| Galactites tomentosa | ||
| Geranium molle | ||
| Tamarix sp. |
Fauna
Birds |
Number of individuals |
Nesting |
References |
| Larus cachinnans | |||
| Monticola solitarius (Linnaeus, 1758) | |||
| Calonectris diomedea (Scopoli, 1769) | |||
| Puffinus yelkouan (Acerbi, 1827) | |||
Amphibians |
Presence status in wetland |
References |
|
| Discoglossus pictus (Otth, 1837) | |||
| Pelophylax bedriagae (Camerano, 1882) | |||
Invertebrates |
Presence status in wetland |
References |
|
| Odonta spp. | |||
| Orthetrum trinacria (Selys, 1841) |
ERA (2015) The 2 nd Water Catchment Management Plan for the Malta Water Catchment District 2015 - 2021
Sciberras, A. & Schembri, P. J. (2006) Occurrence of the alien Bedriaga's frog (Rana bedriagae Camerano, 1882) in the Maltese Islands, and implications for conservation
Images
