News

Following the successful launch of Malta’s first marine reforestation project last year, a second transplantation activity has just been completed off the coast of the Natura 2000 site in Qawra. Coordinated once again by the Italian team from the MEDSEA Foundation in collaboration with the University of Malta, this new phase focused on the restoration of an additional 200m² of Posidonia oceanica meadow, with the planting of 208 transplant modules carefully selected from naturally uprooted specimens and accounting for a total of 330m².

This new milestone builds on the groundwork laid during the initial transplantation carried out in 2024, when around 2,400 cuttings were introduced into degraded areas caused primarily by recreational boating. Earlier this summer, in June, the team conducted the first round of scientific monitoring to assess the success of that pioneering effort. The results were highly encouraging: around 90% of the transplanted plants remained in place, a strong indicator of the resilience of the intervention and a promising sign for the future of marine meadow restoration in Maltese waters.

As with the first activity, the project is coordinated by the MEDSEA Foundation, headquartered in Cagliari, Sardinia, and benefits from collaboration with the Fondation de la Mer, a French foundation committed to biodiversity protection programs across the Mediterranean. The initiative is financially supported by CMA CGM S.A., a global maritime transport company headquartered in Marseille, which has entrusted to oversee marine ecosystem restoration projects, including those in Malta, Sardinia’s Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area and Gokova Bay, in Turkey.

Locally, the work is being carried out in close collaboration with the Oceanography Malta Research Group (OMRG), Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science, at the University of Malta. The activity, authorised by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) as a conservation action to safeguard Malta’s marine habitats, is scientifically supported by Prof. Alan Deidun, Malta’s Ocean Ambassador. On-field operations were conducted by RSO Alessio Marrone, with the support of interns Laura Prieto and Katiuscia Petrosillo, who worked closely with MEDSEA researchers and technicians during the transplantation.

The ecological importance of Posidonia oceanica—an endemic Mediterranean seagrass—cannot be overstated. As a priority habitat, it plays a key role in producing oxygen, capturing CO₂, maintaining water quality, offering shelter for countless marine organisms, and protecting coastlines from erosion. Yet this ecosystem continues to face threats from human activities such as anchoring, recreational boating, and illegal trawling, leading to widespread decline across the Mediterranean basin.

Prof. Deidun emphasised the significance of the successful monitoring results, noting that they demonstrate the viability of such restoration activities in Maltese waters. “The encouraging survival rates of the first transplantation give us confidence to expand these efforts. This second phase represents another important step in safeguarding our underwater heritage. Beyond protecting these sites from disturbance, such restoration actions are among the best natural solutions we have to counteract CO₂ emissions, while also allowing us to harness the wide spectrum of ecosystem services provided by Posidonia—from oxygen production and water purification to coastal protection and biodiversity support.”

Monitoring activities will continue in the coming months to ensure the survival and growth of this newly expanded underwater garden. These efforts mark not only a milestone in local environmental management, but also a forward-looking investment in nature-based solutions to tackle climate change and secure the essential services that Posidonia meadows provide to Mediterranean societies.