Il-Majjistral Nature & History Park

Din l-Art Ħelwa was very active in opposing the Golf course proposed at Xagħra l-Ħamra and together with other non-governmental organisations, protested continuously and commissioned a number of studies to turn the area into a national Park. After much lobbying on 12 May 2007 the then Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi announced that the area extending from ir-Ramla tal-Mixquqa (Golden Bay) to Il-Plajjet (Anchor Bay) would become Malta’s first national park. This area is approximately 9 square kilometres and includes the areas known as Ix-Xagħra l-Ħamra, Ix-Xagħra tal-Majjiesa, Għajn Żnuber and Il-Qasam Barrani. It incorporates part of the protected coastal cliffs of the North West of Malta, which now form part of the list of natura 2000 sites of international importance.

Natura 2000 is a network of sites forming an essential part of the european natural heritage, falling under the Habitats’ Directive. The directive calls for the effective management of such sites through the adoption and implementation of management plans. Din l-Art Ħelwa and Nature Trust were given the management of the park under the chairmanship of Dr Stanley Zammit. The Gaia Foundation was also encouraged to join, and the board also had representatives from MePA, the Estates Division (Lands) and the Rural Affairs and environment Ministry. The Park is a member of the EUROPARC Federation which represents protected areas in 35 countries.

In September 2007 The Majjistral Nature and History Park was set up by Legal Notice 251. The deed setting up the park also proposed a supervisory board made up of the three non-governmental organisations, the local council, three Government appointees and a chairman. Initial work consisted of preparing plans, method statements, surveys of the area and a management plan. A project coordinator was also employed. The chosen area has very interesting land and seascape as well as unique coastal views. The park is also partly contiguous with the Rdum Majjiesa Marine Protected Area. The landscapes of Rdum id- Delli and Rdum Majjiesa offers ideal conditions for a wide variety of flora and fauna with a habitat endemic to the Maltese islands. This extent of coast also offers interesting geological features. The relatively hard Upper Coralline Limestone sits over the weak Blue Clay and so when the clay becomes saturated with rain water, it slides down and forms slopes. The limestoneabove it also falls down towards the coast and into the sea where it forms a habitat for underwater creatures. Blue clay is impermeable to water and this gives rise to some freshwater springs.

On land the visitor can encounter garigue and maquis species of plants and shrubs such as the endemic Maltese spurge, evergreen honeysuckle, wild thyme, orchids such as the Maltese spider orchid, wolfbane, Egyptian St John’s wort, olive-leaved germander, Maltese sea lavender, Mediterranean heath, caper and the rare shrubby crown vetch and black bryony. Trees encountered include tamarisk, carob, fig and olive. The area around the freshwater springs is dominated by reeds, but we can also encounter the annual beard-

grass and the rare chaste tree. The clay slopes support esparto grass, the common ground thistle, and fagonia which is a species that can be only found here and at Il-Karraba in Għajn Tuffieħa. Of the approximately 400 recorded species of plants in the area, 12 are endemic to the Maltese islands. Trees and shrubs have been planted in the area and information boards on the different species of flora and fauna installed.

There are also a number of historical sites which can be found here. These include farmhouses, old beehives, rubble walls typical of the Maltese countryside, cart ruts, tombs dating to the Classical period, entrenchments as coastal defences constructed during the period of the knights, stone stairways, a two-roomed corbeled stone hut (which was restored by the government), a World War II pillbox near Il-Minżel area, the Għajn Tuffieħa British ex-military barracks complex, and the Għajn Żnuber tower which is visible from most parts of the park.

The management of the park was entrusted with the lease of the barracks in November 2011 and in April 2014 the visitor’s centre was inaugurated. It serves as both the park’s administrative offices as well as an interpretation centre where visitors can inform themselves before starting their visit in the park. Other parts are planned to be used as a dormitory for overnight stays and accommodation.

The Għajn Żnuber tower, the World War II gun post near Il-Minżel and a corbeled stone hut have been restored. In fact over 100 cultural and archeological features in the area merit conservation.

Problems had to be addressed during the initial years. These were numerous and included vandalism, illegal off-roading, places within the park which were leased to third parties, long bureaucratic decisions to limit vehicular access, and hunting which is still allowed in the park which is consequently full of shabby hunters’ hides. In the summer of 2013 site-specific regulations were published by virtue of Legal Notice 217. Hunting and vehicular access to Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park was restricted. The Legal Notice, banned hunting in the park prior to two hours before sunrise and after 10 a.m. This ban also applied to anyone carrying a firearm or in possession of ammunition or any hunting equipment. The legal notice also makes parking and driving within the park illegal unless valid authorisation (which applies in the case of farmers, among others) is obtained. Camping, barbecuing, the lighting of bonfires and the setting off of fireworks is also prohibited, although prior approval for certain activities may be sought from the park’s management. Commercial activities, filming, and the removal of stones, pebbles or sand are also restricted. Hunting in a nature Park remains an issue, and in 2009 an online petition calling for it to be banned attracted over 1,000 supporters in less than a week. In November 2017 the Heritage Parks Federation objected to a Legal Notice (LN 300/2017) issued whereby the time allowed for  hunting and trapping was extended to 12.30pm.

Conservation actions are taken regularly to control alien species and cordoning of habitats is performed. Planting of indigenous saplings and their regular watering is a yearly aim of the park. Restoration works on various parts of the building are underway and an administration office (restoration funded by Melita Foundation), a bike shop (restoration funded by PwC), a ranger station (funded by PwC), a plant nursery (funded by Pragmantic Play) and restoration of the villa and officer’s mess are projects which have been completed or are underway.  Sometimes certain areas need to be blocked to limit access and safequard the habitat as human intervention harms the habitat. At the samne time picnic areas are being set up. 

Many activities for the public have been organised in the park. This include nature photography, Blue Flag activities with the Malta Tourism Authority, guided snorkelling with Sharklab Malta, school visits, treasure hunts, health-related activities such as Tai Chi and yoga and courses on dry-stone (ħajt tas-sejjiegħ) walling in conjunction with MCAST. Guided walks specialised on botany, astronomy, malacology, entomology, botany, geology and other sciences show what a rich biodiversity this area possesses.

THE PILLBOX

Pillboxes form part of our military architecture. During the late 1930s and the early 1940s these gun emplacements were erected in strategic places as a reaction against the threat of Italian e-boats during world war II. The first pillboxes to be constructed on our islands were made of natural dry rubble wall (Malt: gagazza) to camouflage with the surrounding. Later on they were constructed of concrete with slit windows through which guns could be fired. Steel and concrete were used to provide resistance against high impact forces. Concrete is essentially a mixture of cement and coralline limestone; in this case Upper Coralline limestone found on site was probably used. Concrete was formed by using wooden casts as can be determined by the presence of grain imprints on the exposed surfaces of walls. The pillbox which was restored and forms part of the Majjistral Park is located at Għajn Żnuber. Indeed it is visible from the Għajn Żnuber tower.

Fractures in the structure develop as concrete has to crack to spall. The expansion of the rusting steel reinforcement also results in cracking. Rust stains are common on the walls as the metallic component corrodes. The pillbox was subjected to fire attack as well as vandalism.

Restoration on the pillbox involved patching and filling of large cracks using a cement-based mortar while smaller cracks were grouted with a mixture compatible with the existing concrete. Corrosion of the steel elements result in a number of cracks and so corrosion inhibitors were used to delay this process.