Founder of Eco-Care, Mohamed Zahir has said that immediate adequate measures should be taken by the authorities to conserve protected marine species in the Maldives.
Speaking to Miadhu Daily, Mohamed Zahir said that every country has protected species and they are protected because they have not fared well over the decades suffering from things such as habitat loss and the spread of invasive species and are listed as threatened or endangered.
Mohamed Zahir said that ECOCARE Maldives and its founder members advocated and lobbied for the protection and conservation of the Marine Turtle in the country as early as the 1980s, and after years of continued activism, with assistance from international organizations such as Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) – London, ECOCARE Maldives was able to play a vital role in the protection of the species in the country.
“About 20,000 turtles a year used to nest on the beaches of Maldives. However, with the introduction of the tourism industry, turtle shell products were sold and also exported,” he said.
He said that because of this the marine turtle population declined in the seas of Maldives.
Mohamed Zahir noted that after the government declared the conservation of marine turtles, the number of turtles have been increased. He said that now one or two turtles are seen during dives.
Meanwhile, ECOCARE Maldives strongly condemned the acts of cruelty against the Marine Turtle by individuals and communities in the Maldives.
The organization called for immediate action from relevant authorities to stop such atrocities against protected marine species in the country. They stated that they are outraged by the lack of adequate enforcement measures in place by relevant authorities to protect these marine species in the country.
Marine Turtle species are classified as threatened with extinction by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Three species are considered Critically Endangered (Hawksbill, Leatherback, and Kemp’s Ridley), two are considered Endangered (Green, and Loggerhead), one is considered Vulnerable (Olive Ridley), and one (Flatback) is listed as Data Deficient. Five species of Marine Turtles are found in the Maldives (Hawksbill, Leatherback, Green, Loggerhead and Olive Ridley), from which four are known to nest in the Maldives.
Adequate measures should be taken to conserve protected marine species- MZ
