Name of Site: Żona fil-Baħar fl-inħawi tal-Graben ta’ Medina

Site Code: MT0000116

Year of designation: 2018 

Area [ha]: 91192.67

 Annex 1 Protected Habitats:

• 1170  Reefs

 

  Importance:

The reef assemblages present along the escarpments in this area are characterised by a variety of sessile cnidarians and sponges. The most abundant habitat-forming species includes the scleractinians (stony corals) Madrepora oculata and Lophelia pertusa, the antipatharian (black coral) Leiopathes glaberrima and the alcyonaceans Corallium rubrum and Swiftia pallida.

The information was gathered through the LIFE BaĦAR for N2K project(LIFE12NAT/MT/000845). The site hosts a concentration of Caretta caretta population as identified by the LIFE Migrate project (LIFE11 NAT/MT1070).