MAL030 - Il-Wied tal-Qlejgha 2

Description

The site consists of a stretch of watercourse that is intercepted by dams such that the site retains water even outside of the rainy season. The site is scheduled as an Area of Ecological Importance and a Site of Scientific Importance through Government Notice 1236 of 2012. The watercourse is scheduled as a level 1 Site of Scientific Importance for the only known locality for the freshwater snail Lymnaea peregra and the hemipteran Nabis ferus. As reported in the Government Notice, this part of the watercourse also supports other freshwater snails (Physella acuta and Lymnaea truncatula) and the freshwater beetle Gyrinus dejeani.The site includes what can be described as a degraded wetland. The habitat consists of an area that is inundated with water, however, it is not dominated by hygrophytes, instead ruderal species are dominant. A pond area The area is part of an ongoing restoration plan that is currently (at the time of writing, i.e.2019) in the implementation process and therefore habitats recorded during the baseline may have changed or since been removed since fieldwork was carried out in 2018. For instance, the Arundo donax reed bed has been almost completely removed in a bid to allow for rare riparian habitats of conservation interest (also at European Level) to take over and colonise this area following planting and bio-engineering works. A Poplar gallery is located upstream similar to the one located behind the dam after Tas-Slampa, the aim of the restoration plan is to extend this habitat type and therefore improve the ecological value of the area. Part of the restoration works included dredging and removing silt from behind the dams to improve water storage capacity and help Malta to achieve its goals in this regard. The area behind the large dam was previously characterised by dominant hygrophytes including Rumex crispus, Ranunculus muricatus, Apium nodiflorum, Ranunculus saniculifolius, Mentha pulegium, Rumex conglomeratus and Holoschoenus scirpoides. A population of Phragmites tenuifolia was also present. The drier areas were dominated by ruderal species. During the restoration works, the hygrophyte seed bank was retained whereby the top metre of silt/soil was moved to the banks of the watercourse until restoration works are completed.

Wetland data

Basic information
Wetland location: Inland
Wetland type: Artificial
Wetland area: 1.80 Ha
Hydrological interaction: Yes 
Water salinity: Fresh (< 0.5 g/l)
Type of fresh water input: Torrent / Stream - Unconfined aquifer
Surface water runoff Outflow controlled by dam
Open water area (%): 26 - 50
Hydroperiod: Permanent
Geographic information
Census district: Western
Island: Malta
Local council: Ir-Rabat
Longitude: 14.389970 East
Latitude: 35.892680 North
Biological significance
Biological significance: High
Ramsar wetland type
Type Coverage (%)
6 -- Water storage areas; reservoirs/barrages/dams/impoundments (generally over 8 ha)
Property status
Public
Protection statuses
Protection status category Protection status subcategory Area's name Code Coverage area (%) Legislation
National Area of Ecological Importance/Site of Scientific Importance Chadwick Lakes u parti mill-Imdina 555552415 100 Development Planning Act (Act VII of 2016)
National Area of High Landscape Value Sistema ta' Widien tas-Salina 555546315 100 Development Planning Act (Act VII of 2016)
CDDA protection status
CDDA code CDDA category
MT02 Area of Ecological Importance/Site of Scientific Importance
MT15 Area of High Landscape Value
Ecosystem services
Type of ecosystem service Ecosystem service Scale of Βenefit (%) Importance
Cultural services Cultural heritage
Provisioning services Fresh water
Supporting services Nutrient cycling
Supporting services Provision of habitat
Cultural services Recreation and tourism
Regulatory services Water purification
Regulatory services Water regulation
Activities on wetland
Activity Intensity
010 = Habitat conservation High
030 = Species conservation High
507 = bridge viaduct High
701 = water pollution High
852 = modifying structures of inland water courses High
853 = management of water levels High
870 = Dykes embankments artificial beaches general High
954 = invasion by a species High
Activities on catchment area
Activity Intensity
010 = Habitat conservation High
100 = Cultivation High
110 = Use of pesticides High
120 = Fertilisation High
130 = Irrigation High
230 = Hunting High
403 = dispersed habitation Low
423 = disposal of inert materials Low
430 = Agricultural structures Medium
501 = paths tracks cycling tracks High
502 = roads motorways High
507 = bridge viaduct High
623 = motorised vehicles Medium
690 = Other leisure and tourism impacts High
954 = invasion by a species High
Impacts
Impact Intensity
EB- = Increase in aesthetic qualities High
ED- = Increase in sediment removal/retention High
ER- = Increase in flow regulation High
ES- = Increase in water supply High
EU- = Increase of tourist/recreation potential High
EW- = Increase in wilderness/wildlife values High
FCP = Introduction of animal pests High
PF- = Fertilizer/Excess nutrient pollution High
PP- = Pesticide pollution
SS- = Soil siltation
VCD = Loss of floral diversity
VCX = Introduction of exotic floral species
VP- = Decrease in population of floral species
Habitat types
Type Coverage (%)
92A0 Salix alba and Populus alba galleries 5 - 25
Vegetation types
Type Coverage (%)
Wet meadow
Emergent 76 - 95
Shrubby / Arborescent 5 - 25
Halophytic
Other
Submerged 5 - 25
Flora
Species Presence status References
Acacia saligna
Acanthus mollis
Arum italicum
Arundo donax
Aster squamatus
Bellardia trixago
Borago officinalis
Cynodon dactylon
Diplotaxis tenuifolia
Eucalyptus camaldulensis
Ferula communis
Glebionis coronaria
Hordeum vulgare
Lavatera arborea
Malva cretica
Malva sylvestris
Mercurialis annua
Olea europaea
Opuntia ficus-indica
Oxalis pes-caprae
Phragmites australis
Populus alba
Prunus dulcis
Reichardia picroides
Ricinus communis
Sambucus nigra
Smyrnium olusatrum
Urginea pancration
Yucca gloriosa
Fauna

Reptiles

Presence status in wetland

References

Chalcides ocellatus tiligugu (Gmelin, 1789)
Coluber viridiflavus (Lacepede, 1789)

Amphibians

Presence status in wetland


References
Discoglossus pictus (Otth, 1837)

Invertebrates

Presence status in wetland


References
Chrysolina grossa (Fabricius, 1792)
Dytiscus circumflexus (Fabricius, 1801)
Orius spp.
Macrolophus spp.
Trigonotylus spp.
Notonecta maculata (Fabricius, 1794)
Andrena nigroaenea (Kirby, 1802)
Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Ceratina
Xylocopa violaceae (Linnaeus, 1758)
Hylaeus
Halictus fulvipes (Klug, 1817)
Lassioglossum
Seladonia gemmea (Dours, 1872)
Anthidium
Osmia latreillei (Spinola, 1806)
Polistes gallicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Celastrina argiolus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Leptotes pirithous (Linnaeus, 1767)
Pararge aegeria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus, 1758)
Pieris rapae (Linnaeus, 1758)
Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens, 1836)
Anax imperator (Leach, 1815)
Anax parthenope (Selys, 1839)
Ischnura genei
Crocothemis erythraea (Morton, 1920)
Orthetrum cancellatum (Linnaeus, 1758)
Orthetrum coarulescens anceps (Schneider, 1845)
Orthetrum trinacria (Selys, 1841)
Selysiothemis nigra (Vander Linden, 1825)
Sympetrum fonscolombii (Selys, 1840)
Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852)
Lymnaea truncatula (O. F. Müller, 1774)
Theba pisana (O.F. Müller, 1774)
Radix peregra (Linnaeus, 1758)
Physella acuta (Draparnaud, 1805)
Trochoidea spratti (L. Pfeiffer, 1846)

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