The Coastal and Marine Habitats of the Maltese Islands

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Fee €151

15th July 2025

Starting Date

9:00 - 13:00 (Lecture 1 and Lecture 2) ; 10:00 - 12:00 (Snorkeling Experience)

Time

10 Hours

Duration

Lectures to be held at Campus Hub, University of Malta with the final Snorkeling Session to be held either at Għajn Tuffieħa or Sliema, depending on the weather

Location

About the Course

The mode of delivery is accessible to anyone with an interest in the coastal and marine environment of the Mediterranean, irrespective of academic background. All participants will be given a certificate of attendance, in addition to complementary copies of publications from the Spot the Jellyfish and the Spot the Alien citizen science campaigns.

List of topics that will be covered within the foreseen 8 hrs of lectures (spread over the first 2 days, with the third and final morning being dedicated to the guided snorkeling session):

Introduction to the dynamics of the Mediterranean;
Snapshots of major coastal and marine habitats and species of the Maltese Islands
Overview of plankton species (including jellyfish);
Human impacts (e.g. invasive alien species) and conservation strategies;
Instrumentation and methods used in the study of marine biology;
Management of Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s);
Marine habitat restoration
Introduction to citizen science

Course Trainers

Prof Alan Deidun

Prof. Alan Deidun, a marine biologist by training, is Malta’s first-ever Ocean Ambassador. He directs the Malta Training Centre of the International Ocean Institute (IOI) and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (London). He is also a Full Professor within the Faculty of Science of the University of Malta, where he coordinates the Master of Science in Applied Oceanography course and acts as the Rector’s Delegate on the SEA-EU 2.0 (University of the Sea) alliance, which features a Consortium of nine European Universities. He has served as a Board member of the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) of Malta between February 2016 and May 2021, since September 2019 has served as a member of the EU Commission’s Ocean Mission Board. and, since 2018, is the Maltese national delegate for CIESM (the International Science Commission for the Mediterranean). He is a national and European ocean literacy and citizen science champion, being twice featured on EuroNews and in leading European newspapers, being bestowed in 2021 with the National Order of Merit recognition by the President of Malta for his efforts. Prof. Alan Deidun has published over 210 peer-reviewed papers and contributions in high-profile academic journals as well as in conference proceedings and his academic work has currently been cited over 3500 times (H index of 32). Since 2005, he has acted as a freelance marine ecology consultant on numerous EIA and AA studies linked with a considerable number of proposed, high-profile coastal and marine projects in the Maltese Islands and in Libya. Prof. Deidun has participated as Principal Investigator for the University of Malta in numerous EU-funded projects within ENI-CBCMED, Interreg, FP7, Horizon 2020, COST and Erasmus+ frameworks, having attracted over 5 million euros to the same University through such endeavours. In 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2017, he was presented with the Environmental Journalism Award for Malta by the Institute of Maltese Journalism for the environmental column he has penned in The Sunday Times of Malta since 2002.

Contact Details

trainingservices@muhc.com.mt

21240746