Once fertile farmland, now degraded into an agriculturally
useless Steppe.
Soil is a very impoverished resource on the Maltese islands, exploitation and poor management has resulted in a severely degraded and denuded landscape, many soils found are young and immature, some are entirely artificial. Three principal soil types have been identified.
The civilization which constructed the great Neolithic temples appears to have existed in an environment which was rich in natural resources. The stone carvings preserved in the Archaeological Museum, Valetta, paint a picture of an island covered in trees and full of wildlife. Today the islands have been largely denuded of most of their natural physical resources including, trees, soils and wildlife and only a few square metres of original forest now remain in the form of Holm Oak Copses. Soils in many places have deteriorated to an impoverished steppe landscape. The environmental history of the past 5000 years appears to be one of constant irresistible deterioration.
Once fertile farmland, now degraded into an agriculturally
useless Steppe.
The removal of tree cover has inevitably raised the threat of erosion of the soil cover. Both via mass movement as the Blue Clay erodes when exposed to winter rains and via aeolian activity. In response to both problems terraces, many of them ancient have been constructed around the islands. Where these are maintained they are very successful in preserving and maintaining the soil resource.
Small fields, stone walls and terracing near the village of Zurrieq on Malta's southern coast. Topsoil here is extremely thin and the walls and small field size are an attempt to slow erosion from the winter rains. Crops include potatoes, citrus, tomatoes and fodder. The maintainance of this system is very time and labour intensive and in many areas these fields have been abandoned.
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Successful terracing exploiting the spring line and Blue clay
in Wied ir-Rum.
Terrace systems do require maintainance and when abandoned deteriorate rapidly. This abandonment is the consequence of economic development, and the provision of alternative sources of employment. But does economic development need to result in environmental deterioration?
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Recently abandoned terracing below the Marfa Ridge.
In many areas of the islands the terracing has been abandoned long enough for the soil to be almost completely eroded from the hillside. In the image below long abandoned terraces can be seen nestling below a plantation of fast growing Eucalyptus trees on the Bajda ridge. This forest is purely cosmetic as the trees do not create a soil below them.
Abandoned terraces and Eucalyptus trees, Bajda Ridge.
. Visiting
the plantation is not encouraged, it has been leased to the Maltese
Gun Association.
The agricultural story is not all bad however, the reclamation of long abandoned land is encouraged by the growth of the Maltese wine producing industry and to produce fruit for sale to the island's 1.5 million visitors. The reclamation of steepe land often involves the importation of all the soil resources. These fields are known as Campi Artificiale and are constructed from rubble, rock flour, Blue Clay and organic matter. It is not unknown for soil to be imported from nearby Sicily. Soil is such a valuable commodity that its movement is regulated by law!.
Campi Artificiale built in an area which is otherwise
almost totally denuded of soil cover.
Mature Campi Artificiale located in an otherwise denuded
Karst landscape.
Organic matter for the Campi Artificiale is provided by the island's main recycling plant and by the few intensive dairy production farms.
Fodder
and manure awaiting recycling at a Dairy Farm on the Dwejra Ridge.
Projects: This list is only intended as a primer.
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