Welcome, I am Potamon: Potamon fluviatile lanfrancoi to be correct.
 
I am a fresh water crab and live with my friends – painted frogs, bats, hedgehogs, ring-collared turtle doves and other wild life – in Wied Ghajn Zejtuna, one of the few remaining natural spring water streams in Malta.

There are not many of us left here; over the last 20 years, our habitat has shrunk and become damaged by over-development in the Valley. My fellow crabs and all our friends want to continue to live here for future generations; after all we were here first!

However, a new development is nearing approval by the Government and MEPA.  It is in the centre at the bottom of the Valley directly in the path of the fresh water stream. MEPA has somehow managed to move the lines governing the existing protected areas to accommodate this proposed development.

The concrete footprint proposed will be over 8,000 sqm (7.24 tumoli); our current habitat will decrease by over 8,000 sqm (7.24 tumoli).

It is unlikely that I and all my friends will survive in our current few numbers. I don’t want to become EXTINCT in Wied Ghajn Zejtuna!!

You can help simply by adding your name to our petition: www.ipetitions.com/petition/savepotamon

Thank You!

Wied Ghajn Zejtuna-Valley Spring of the Olive- is one of the few remaining protected natural spring watercourses in Malta. Now scheduled as a Level Two (2) Area of Ecological Importance, this valley was once a beautiful, productive agricultural idyll. In prehistoric times there was a temple built at the mouth of the valley in the now protected coastal area, evidence of some of the original stones remain today! Enclosed by majestic cliffs to the East and West, the valley is the habitat of a variety of protected species of both flora and fauna.

In more recent times it has also become the habitat of Homo sapiens, with the development of a “Garden Estate” of bungalows and exclusive villas, which began in the early 1960’s. Development has taken its toll on the natural environment; however, this jewel of an asset has struggled to survive against all the odds.
The residents of this valley, through their association, the Ghaqda Tar-Residenti ta’ Santa Marija Estate, Mellieha, in partnership with the Mellieha Local Council, has launched an ambitious project to Regenerate Wied Ghajn Zejtuna.
The aim is to return the valley to its once green and productive past by restoring the dry stone walling, removing invasive species, re-planting indigenous trees and managing the watercourse to improve the conservation of this valuable and scarce resource.

We need your involvement to bring about this transformation to our environment and in nurturing and sustaining its biodiversity.

For more information visit: www.santamarijaestatemellieha.com