Article: Crossroads at sea: Escalating conflict in a marine protected area in Malta

This paper illustrates the failure to adequately include local stakeholders in the creation of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Malta. The authors discuss multiple uses of the marine environment, territorial conflicts and fishing disputes, communication barriers, as well as misrepresentation and marginalization of trammel netters in the context of the Rdum Majjiesa to Ras ir-Raħeb MPA. According to the paper, community leaders who are supposed to represent the interests of local fishers are using their position in the MPA negotiations to their favor, pressuring authorities to ban trammel net fishing, with whom they tend to be in competition.

 

The article concludes that the process of implementation of this particular MPA in Malta has been characterised by the state's narrow focus on ecology, the tight deadlines set out in the EU Habitats Directive and the misrepresentation of the fishers' interests. The authors call for broader and more representative participation from the local community by encouraging engagement throughout the process as part of a consensual approach to effective marine conservation.