Maldives Marine Newsletter - IUCN · PDF fileWhale Shark Festival. The Maldives is ... The newsletter is a platform to showcase ... and to attack from other dolphins

IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges by supporting scientific research; managing field projects all over the world; and bringing govern-ments, NGOs, the UN, international conventions and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.

Our vision is a just world that values and conserves nature.

Our mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies through-out the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and eco-logically sustainable.

The world’s oldest and largest global environmental network, IUCN is a democratic membership union with more than 1,200 govern-ment and NGO member organizations, and almost 11,000 volun-teer scientists and experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 professional staff in 45 offices and hun-dreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. IUCN’s headquarters are located in Gland, near Geneva, in Switzerland.

IUCN has been undertaking and supporting environmental con-servation and addressing development challenges in the Maldives since 1985 through its global and regional programmes. Current-ly, IUCN’s work in the Maldives is supported by the Asia Regional Office based in Thailand and the Global Marine and Polar Pro-gramme based in Switzerland.

OUR MISSIONIN thIS ISSUe

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Maldives Marine Newsletter

Issue no 1. March 2014

P2 INTRODUCTION: IUCN in the Maldives

P4 MALDIVES MARINE BIOLOGIST IN ACTION: Six Senses Laamu Creates Code of Conduct for Dolphin Watching

P6 MARINE MANAGEMENT: National Coral Reef Monitoring

P8 MEET A FELLOW MARINE CONSERVATIONIST

P9 SPECIES HIGHLIGHT: Marine Turtles

P11 MARINE CONSERVATION: Mangroves for the Future Programme (MFF) in the Maldives

P13 MALDIVES MARINE BIOLOGIST IN ACTION: Maldives Tourism Adaptation Platform

P15 FEATURED EVENT: First Whale Shark Festival

The Maldives is truly a special place.

With a rich culture and warm-hearted people, its spec-tacular vistas and marine life contin-uously inspire and awe. Even with 1190 islands, land

is still the scarcest resource in the country, mak-ing up less than 1% of its surface area. As one of the lowest lying countries in the world (mean 1.5 m), the country and its people are especially vulnerable to climate change impacts such as sea level rise, coral reef bleaching and mortal-ity, ocean acidification, and increases in severe weather events. Importantly, the Maldives archi-pelago represents a globally unique ecoregion and species biogeography. Given the outstand-ing characteristics mentioned, the Maldives was announced as 1 of 50 Hope Spots in the world1 by IUCN and Mission Blue. It is clear that the fu-ture of the people and the marine resources in the Maldives is of global significance and inter-est.

I have visited and worked in many tropical lo-cations in my professional career which include countries in the Coral Sea, Caribbean, the Red Sea, the Arabian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean. Here in the Maldives I see a unique and unde-niable connection between the people and their sea, a strong inter-dependency between the social and ecological communities that inhabit these islands and surrounding waters. An inter-

dependency that needs to be sustained for the future wellbeing of the country. Whether you are born in the Maldives or have the luck and oppor-tunity to visit and live here, it is clear that there is a strong appreciation of its marine natural herit-age by all. Such recognition of the importance of marine resources leads to a commitment to find innovative ways to protect and manage them for future generations to appreciate and utilise.

The objectives of the IUCN Maldives Marine Projects were developed to address the environ-mental priorities and challenges that the Maldives faces. They include enhancing coral reef resilience (both social and ecological), supporting climate change adaptation, advancing marine species management and increasing environmental awareness across different sectors. These are ambitious but urgent priorities that require vision, dedication, perseverance and commitment by many individuals, groups and stakeholders of society in order to address them.

My message is simple: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; this is the true definition of synergy. You, me, ministries, resorts, NGOs, uni-versities, students, visitors, and everyone pas-sionate about the Maldives’ natural environment, can each play a vital role. I have spoken with many who live and work in the Maldives – from govern-ment officials and general managers at resorts, to dive centres and live aboard staff, to women, students and fishers- all would like to contrib-ute to something bigger, a higher purpose. We are able to better address the marine resource challenges of the Maldives together, and make real and positive change that is more lasting and powerful more so than if we each work alone.

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INTRODUCTION

IUCN in the MaldivesA message from Dr. Ameer Abdulla, Programme Lead-Coral Reefs, Global Marine Programme, IUCN

1 http://mission-blue.org/hope-spots-new/

Maldives Marine Newsletter - Issue no 1. March 2014

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So what is it that we can do together? Put con-cisely: we work locally to address national-scale challenges to marine resource conservation, management, and sustainability. Scaling up conservation and management from the local to national and even regional levels is vital. Moving from single unique independent nodes to an in-terconnected network and coalition of willing and active contributors is key to effectively address-ing these urgent issues. IUCN can support your work, help develop your objectives and enhance collaboration between individuals, groups, and projects. The role of IUCN is to convene dif-ferent stakeholders, build bridges, and develop platforms that we can all contribute to and ben-efit from in the short and long term. Our man-date is to develop or communicate the neces-sary knowledge that empowers people to govern their resources.

Our team would be privileged to work with all of you, as IUCN can only do this with you. Our

newsletter is a reflection of our collaborations and a testimony to the synergies that can be devel-oped when many are working towards the same aim. The newsletter is a platform to showcase your work and share insights with others that may benefit from it. It is designed to inform and inspire those who are passionate about the ma-rine ecosystems of the Maldives and to feature the work of fellow marine practitioners and con-servationists. This is your newsletter so please do consider contributing so that worthwhile initia-tives are recognised, best practice is shared, and crucial links are made. Together, the success we achieve in the Maldives will resonate in the Indian Ocean and further to other oceans and regions touched by the same pressing issues.

We look forward to working with all of you.

With warm regards,

Ameer


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Iam pleased to announce that Six Senses Laa-mu has successfully implemented a code of conduct for dolphin watching in order to pro-

tect the local dolphin populations. Since the issue of disturbance has become a major conservation concern due to the assessed potential negative impacts, I decided to implement a local code of conduct for Six Senses Laamu.

For the marine mammals module of my Masters degree, I wrote a review about the issues relating to whale and dolphin watching and the methods in place for ensuring the future sustainability of the industry. Disturbance is the major conserva-tion concern related to the whale and dolphin watching industry as the presence of boats has been shown to change the behaviour of the ani-mals. Disturbance can be separated into three levels; immediate, short-term and long-term dis-turbance. The immediate impacts are the result of the boats colliding with or the propellers hitting the dolphins and causing either injury or death. The short-term behavioural reactions include changes in surfacing behaviour; travelling direc-tion and speed; feeding and resting patterns; group size; acoustic behaviour; mating or nurs-ing behaviour; and increased aggressive behav-iour, such as tail slaps2. The long-term impacts of continued disturbance can lead to an increase in chronic stress which can lead to reduced re-productive success and even mortality3. Rest is essential to maintain high levels of foraging ef-ficiency, vigilance and parental care and a reduc-tion can thereby negatively impact on the well-being of the animal (Constantine et al. 2004). Continued disturbance could lead to an altera-

tion in the animals’ distribution and range or even habitat abandonment, for example moving out of the atolls. A growing awareness of these issues is leading to the development of local codes of conduct for the boats around dolphin popula-tions to encourage sustainable tourism.

After completing my Masters, I spent two seasons working with the Sea Watch Foundation, a U.K. marine mammal charity, on their Cardigan Bay Bottlenose Dolphin Monitoring Project. Part of the project included monitoring the boat traffic to ensure that the local code of conduct was being adhered to. Upon arrival at Six Senses Laamu, I noticed that the boat drivers did not have a code of conduct in place for driving around dolphins. Drawing on my previously acquired knowledge and experience of working in the field, I devel-oped a code of conduct for our boat drivers. I also consulted with several marine mammal bi-ologists to figure out the best way to implement the code. Since the issue of disturbance and its potential negative impacts has never been ad-dressed here before, I gave a presentation to all the boat crews to explain why I was implement-ing a code of conduct. Explaining the issues and giving the crews an understanding of why the code is being put in place has been shown to help ensure cooperation and compliance.

The code is about minimising any potential dis-turbance that the presence of our boats can have on the dolphins. 50 m is the minimum ap-proach distance so that we do not impose our-selves upon them. It is imperative that we do not approach the group directly from in front or from

MALDIVES MARINE BIOLOGIST IN ACTION

Six Senses Laamu Creates Code of Conduct for Dolphin WatchingBy Rachel Lambert. Marine Biologist, Six Senses Laamu


2 Chen C-L. (2010) From catching to watching: Moving towards quality assurance of whale/dolphin watching tourism in Taiwan. Marine Policy, 35(1): 10-17.

3 Constantine, R., Brunton, D.H. & Dennis, T. (2004) Dolphin-watching tour boats changes bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) behaviour. Biological Conservation 117: 299-307.

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behind as this will cause the animals to change their travel direction to avoid us and creates a sense of being chased if we approach from be-hind. The code is about allowing the dolphins to have the choice to approach the boat should they wish to bow-ride or to avoid the boat espe-cially if they are in times of rest. If the boat main-tains a steady speed and direction then we are being predictable and the dolphins are able to plan their movements around the boat. 6 knots is the speed limit when within 150m as the chances of colliding with the dolphins increase drastically above this speed. It is important that we do not chase the dolphins at speed or get in the way of their direction of travel. Mothers are highly pro-tective of their calves and have been found to push their young away from approaching boats.

When mothers and calves are in the group it is very important that we do not come between them as this leaves the calf open to predation and to attack from other dolphins.

Many charities and local governments are imple-menting codes of conducts and fines for protect-ing their dolphin populations and thereby, a grow-ing awareness of the importance of a sustainable industry has developed. Tourists are becoming increasingly aware of the issues of disturbance and seek out sustainably run tour operators for their dolphin watching excursions. The code of conduct is therefore about ensuring the future sustainability of our dolphin populations as well as enhancing the guest experience.

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The health of the world’s coral reefs has deteriorated across most regions, includ-ing the Indian Ocean, posing challenges

for conservationists, resource managers and reef-dependent societies globally. A multitude of pressures are threatening coral reefs, rang-ing from climate change and ocean acidification driven by carbon emissions, to destructive fish-ing and overfishing, poorly planned coastal and urban development, and pollution. The Maldives archipelago has similarly been exposed to im-pacts of climate change with severe and mass coral bleaching events following the El Niño of 1998 and 2010. These events have decimated a large majority of shallow fringing coral reefs, an ecosystem that plays a fundamental role in food provision, shoreline protection, and enhanced water quality.

To address climate-related risks and to strength-en Maldives’ resilience to these risks, the Climate Change Trust Fund (CCTF) was established in 2010, administered by the World Bank, with donations from AusAid and the European Un-ion. With coordination from the Ministry of En-vironment and Energy (MEE), funds have been allocated to a number of projects identified by the Government of Maldives (GOM) related to climate change mitigation and adaptation meas-ures. A major project stemming from this fund-ing is the ‘Coral Reef Monitoring Component’, which is part of the Wetland Conservation and Coral Reef Monitoring for Adaptation to Climate Change (WCCM) Project.

The ‘Coral Reef Monitoring Component’ is speci-fied as “Developing and piloting a web-enabled

MARINE MANAGEMENT: National Coral Reef Monitoring

Training on the National Coral Reef Monitoring FrameworkBy Patrik Svensson, Senior Project Officer, IUCN

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coral reef monitoring framework for evidence-based management of the coral reef ecosystem”. The foundation work has recently been complet-ed for this in the form of a powerful web-enabled national geo-database, referred to as the ‘Na-tional Coral Reef Monitoring Framework’. This framework enables the building of protocols and the input, archiving and manipulation of monitor-ing data, which is to be used to make informed decisions on resources management.

The monitoring protocols build on a number of protocols developed under the Maldives Environ-mental Management Project (MEMP) and have recently been peer reviewed by external con-sultants. The protocols are designed to support the monitoring of coral reefs and the provision of information for evidence-based management of coral reefs.

A consortium of partners including the Ministry of Environment and Energy, Marine Research Center, CDE consulting, Marine Applied Re-search Center, and IUCN has been developed to refine the protocols, develop training mod-

ules, conduct field training with select resort and government staff, as well as to collect data and enter it into the National Coral Reef Moni-toring Framework. This will first be done at five pilot resorts in Kaafu atoll (Banyan Tree Vabbin-faru, Bandos Island Resort and Spa, Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, Jumeirah Vittaveli, Paradise Is-land Resort and Spa).

The ultimate goal of the project is to assist the people of Maldives in improving atoll ecosys-tem management in a manner that is science-based, decentralized, participatory, stakehold-er-driven, and financially sustainable. The aim is, through all the materials and training proc-esses that are developed, to ultimately em-power people to participate in the project in the near and long-term. This will involve build-ing the capacity of resort staff and managers while ensuring the training materials positively shape their perceptions of the importance and long-term benefits of participating in the project. The training at the five pilot resorts is planned to start in spring 2014. For more information: http://www.mrc.gov.mv/program/7

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I had a fascination for the ocean as a child and I worked as a Dive Guide for eight years before joining the Marine Research Centre (MRC).

This is my sixth year running in the MRC and I have been working with the Coral Reef Unit for the past five years. During my first three years at the MRC, Hussein Zahir was my boss - a senior reef ecologist and one of the most experienced local scientists on coral reefs. I worked under him and helped with data collection for the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Under NCRMP we surveyed the recovery of the coral reefs of the Maldives after the 1998 bleaching. My work at the MRC is not limited to coral reefs: I have been involved in finding grouper spawn-ing areas and protecting these sites by helping to develop a Grouper Fishery Management Plan. I worked with Save Our Seas Foundation on a research project to study sharks in the southern atolls of the Maldives and I helped MRC carry out surveys of fishes living around Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). For the French research organi-zation IRD (Institut de recherche pour le dévelop-pement), I radio-tagged tuna to study their mi-gration from one FAD to the next. In 2009, I was involved in mapping Baa atoll to record its marine biodiversity.

In 2011, I was given the task to run the Coral Reef Unit and personally trained two new staff members to scuba dive and conduct the surveys for the NCRMP. As in many countries, civil serv-ice positions are not as highly paid as the private sector and MRC sometimes sees quick staff turn-over. Nevertheless, with relatively limited funds, staff and resources, we managed to survey all the sites of NCRMP in 2012! We are currently writing the report on the data collected.

In 2012 I got the opportunity to work as the re-sort liaison officer for the Wetland and Coral Reef Conservation Program funded by European Un-ion and Australian aid. This project is designed to

train designated staff of tourist resorts on proto-cols to collect marine and terrestrial data. Under this project, a database has been built for the resort to enter the data they’ve collected, stand-ardizing and centralizing environmental monitor-ing efforts. Five resorts have signed contracts with this pilot project and training at the resorts is scheduled to commence in April 2014.

Marine conservation and managing its resources is an endless task and a task that needs peo-ple who are devoted and committed to the work they do. Our main focus should be to conserve and manage these resources and to produce new faces that will lead the work we are doing right now.

MEET A FELLOW MARINE CONSERVATIONIST

Rilwan Yoosuf, Assistant Research Officer, Marine Research Center

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I have known and have been collaborating professionally with Rilwan for the past two years. It is inspiring to see a child’s fascina-tion for the Maldivian ocean turn into a career as a scientist, leading a major coral reef conservation project, and contributing to research and publications! As Rilwan concludes, our task is not only to conserve marine resources, but also to inspire the next generation to do so… Patrik Svensson, IUCN


Out of the seven species of marine tur-tles in the world, six can be found, more or less frequently, in the Indian Ocean4:

the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the log-gerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) are classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List; the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the leather-back turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) are classified as critically endangered; the olive-ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) is considered vulner-able and the flatback turtle (Natator depressus), a species endemic of the Australian continental shelf but that sporadically enters the Indo-Pacific region for foraging5, is classified as data deficient. Click on the species latin name to see their as-sessment in the IUCN Red List.

Five species have been reported in the Maldives (which are too far from the Australian waters for the flatback turtle)6. The green turtle (known also as ‘Vela or Wela’)7 is commonly seen in the Mal-divian waters where it is known to nest and feed. Nesting occurs throughout the archipelago but because of the dispersed nature of the nesting sites, it is very difficult to estimate the number of female turtles using these sites6. As for the forag-ing grounds, patches of seagrass have been de-scribed in many atolls, however none seem par-ticularly extensive7. Hawksbill turtles (also known as ‘Kahambu’) too can be seen throughout the Maldives, either nesting or feeding. Nesting sites are thought to be found on almost every atoll,

often at the same sites used by green turtles6,7. Feeding occurs on most reefs and the few data available showed a preference towards spong-es7. The olive ridley turtle (or ‘Va washi’)7 is seen commonly off-shore, but no nest has been re-ported. It is thought that most olive ridleys in the Maldivian waters come from or are going to mass nesting sites located in India at Orissa beach and some recent telemetry studies seemed to par-tially confirm this pattern8. Leatherback and log-gerhead turtles do not have a common name (although it seems that in certain southern atolls the leatherback turtle was called ‘Musimbi’) and are considered rare6,7.

Because quantitative data for marine turtles in the Maldives are usually scattered, it is not pos-sible to have an idea of the population trends. However, we do have some important data from the entire Indian Ocean region that unfortu-

SPECIES HIGHLIGHT: Marine turtles of the Maldives

Marine turtles of the Maldives – A short overviewBy Agnese Mancini, Senior Project Officer, IUCN

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4 Shanker, K. 2004. Marine turtle status and conservation in the Indian Ocean. FAO fisheries report 738: 85-134.5 Limpus, C.J., Al-Ghais, S.J., Mortimer, J.A., and Pilcher, N.J. 2001. Marine turtles in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian

region: Breeding, distribution, migration and population trends. Convention on Migratory Species, Manila, Philippines.6 Zahit, H. 2010. The status of sea turtles in the Maldives. In: IOSEA Marine turtle MoU – Profile of the month

http://www.ioseaturtles.org/pom_detail.php?id=100. Downloaded on 06 November 2013.7 Frazier, J., Salas S., and Hassan Didi, N.T. 2000. Marine Turtles in the Maldive Archipelago. Maldives Marine Research

Bulletin 4: 80 pp.8 Available at: http://marinesavers.com/turtle-satellite-tracking/

nately provide negative trends for most species, with the exception of the olive ridley turtle that showed an increase in terms of nesting in certain areas. Main threats to turtles in the Indian Ocean come from the direct take and egg collection9, incidental capture in gillnets, near-shore trawlers and longliners10, and finally coastal development and subsequent habitat loss.

In the Maldives, a 10-year ban on catching or killing of marine turtles was implemented and ex-tended for another 10 years, however no legis-lation is actually protecting the eggs from being collected which is a cause of concern11. Marine turtles are slow to mature and juvenile survival is low; egg collection is considered a major threat to the long term survival of the species especially if all eggs are being collected. Turtle eggs are ac-tually protected only in 14 index nesting beaches since 2006-2007. Other bans, implemented in

1995 and 1996, prohibit respectively importing or selling turtles and turtle-derived products6. Data on fishery-related mortality are insufficient, however most reported turtles were found entan-gled in ghost nets (discarded nets) or in oceanic drifters and longliners 10,11,12.

Many initiatives have been and are being promot-ed in the Maldives to protect marine turtles and their habitats, most of which are coming from lo-cal stakeholders and communities and have the support of the government. While all these indi-vidual projects have a great local impact, there is a need now to merge scientific, technical and traditional knowledge into a wider and compre-hensive national action plan for marine turtle con-servation. Links to existing initiatives: http://www.oliveridleyproject.com/ and http://marinesavers.com/2014/01/maldives-turtle-id-programme-2014-updates/

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9 Frazier, J.G. 1980. Exploitation of marine turtles in the Indian Ocean. Human Ecology, 8: 329–370.10 Shanker, K., and Pilcher, N. J. 2003. Marine turtle conservation in South and Southeast Asia: hopeless cause or cause for

hope. Marine Turtle Newsletter, 100, 43-51.11 Bourjea, J., Nel, R., Jiddawi, N. S., Koonjul, M. S., and Bianchi, G. 2008. Sea turtle bycatch in the West Indian Ocean:

review, recommendations and research priorities. Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science, 7(2), 137-150.12 The olive ridley project: a web-based initiative. Available at: http://www.ioseaturtles.org/feature_detail.php?id=397

Maldives: One of the Most Climate Vulnerable Countries in the WorldAs one of the world’s most low-lying countries, the Maldives is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Rising sea-levels due to global warming indicate that this low lying archipelagic nation of approximately 1200 islands could cease to exist. Much has been discussed in the way on how the Maldives can overcome the challenges it faces vis-à-vis climate change – The MFF programme, implemented in the Indian Ocean region thanks to committed partners co-coordinated by the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and IUCN, is an important step in that direction. The Mangroves for the Future Programme (MFF) is assisting the Maldives to adopt a National Inte-grated Coastal Management approach that fully responds to and advances the prescriptions laid out in Maldives National Adaptation Programme of Action on climate change.

The MFF MissionMFF is supporting awareness-raising of climate change at island level and promotes activities such as climate adapted agricultural practices

that minimize soil and water use. Ensuring a safe and healthy island environment is another MFF priority, particularly by improving waste manage-ment practices and by educating island residents about the importance of environmental protec-tion.

An Environmentally Sound Coastline - Vital for Economic DevelopmentThe Maldives is composed of a series of low lying islands, where any area of land mass constitutes a coastal area. Maldives depends entirely on the coastal and marine ecosystems as the asset-base of the national economy. Tourism, the larg-est contributor to national GDP, is based wholly on the health and attractiveness of Maldives’ coastal features. The country’s second largest in-dustry, fisheries, depends greatly on the produc-tivity of healthy coastal and marine ecosystems.

Development activities have had significant im-pacts on the coastal ecosystems in the Maldives. Some development activities, such as harbour dredging and land reclamation, permanently change the natural environment and substan-

MARINE CONSERVATION: Mangroves for the Future Programme (MFF) in the Maldives

By Khadeeja Naseem, National Coordinator for Mangroves for the Future, United Nation Development Programme

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tially damage habitats while activities such as the improper disposal of solid waste and sewage have a slow cumulative impact on the environ-ment. Beach erosion is a serious problem, with 97% of inhabited islands reporting beach erosion and the uncontrolled disposal of solid wastes, in-cluding medical waste, is a threat to coastal and marine ecosystems. The environmental impact of tourism and fisheries activities is often managed to a high standard. On the other hand, human settlements development, transportation and en-ergy projects are undertaken without adequate environmental management and there are no set environmental standards for these sectors.

MFF ActivitiesMFF is hosted in the UNDP and works under the guidance of the National Coordinating Body. Cur-rently, the Maldives is completing its phase two in the MFF Programme. MFF assists the communi-ties in the Maldives to combat the environmental degradation and related livelihood issues through the small and medium grants scheme, where lo-cal civil society organizations are provided with small grants up to USD 25,000 and medium grants up to USD 100,000. MFF Maldives is also collaborating on two regional projects, The Green Fins initiative and the Mapping and Enhancing

Natural Resource Governance in Small Island Communities. In addition, MFF conducts capac-ity building activities to ensure stronger coastal management.

For example, MFF held its first National Waste Management Workshop in the Maldives at AlifAli-fUkulhas from 25-26 November 2013. The main aim of the workshop was to contribute towards sustainable coastal management, by improv-ing the capacity of ongoing waste management projects in the Maldives through different activi-ties. The 2 day workshop gave the participants a hands-on and practical training experience. A total of 33 participants from 11 islands, rep-resenting the NGO’s, Women’s Development Committees and Island Councils participated in the training.

ConclusionThrough the MFF small and medium grants projects and capacity building activities, MFF en-visions in assisting communities through empow-ering women, promoting collaboration between the private sector and civil society for sustainable use of coastal resources and increasing the ca-pacity of civil society.

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The Maldives islands are a dream for tour-ists. Besides the alluring beaches and the thrilling underwater life, the public eye lays

on the Maldives in terms of climate change and its effects on the country.

Tourism is the largest economic sector for the country, accounting for 28% of the GDP and 60% of the Maldivian foreign exchange. The massively growing tourism sector is intimately connected to a range of value chains, provid-ing a broad range of goods and services such as food supply, manufacturing and construc-tion, energy and water usage. Currently, the en-tire tourism sector is lacking in resilient resource usage and thereby vulnerable to climate related shocks and stressors, and in need of climate-smart planning and investments. Several recent assessments highlight the main vulnerable areas: flooding, erosion, water and waste management. Therefore in 2013, the United Nations Develop-ment Programme (UNDP) launched the Tourism Adaptation Project (TAP), in cooperation with the GEF/LDCF13 and the Maldivian Government, to increase climate change resilience in the Mal-dives through adaptation in the tourism sector. The project objectives are: increasing awareness regarding climate change and policy service in the tourism and local sector; increasing climate risk financing; measuring and supporting adap-tation processes; and increasing the interactions between stakeholders and local communities.

Through the Maldives Tourism Adaptation Platform (MTAP), which is launched through Facebook and LinkedIn, TAP has built a platform for exchange and interaction between resorts, the local community and tourists. Through MTAP, 15 to 20 small grant projects will be awarded

and implemented by resorts and communities, to share good practices and to promote climate change adaptation in the tourism industry.

A tool worth looking at for creating a more re-silient and sustainable environment may be sus-tainable design and technology. Young entrepre-neurs all over the world are presenting new ways of how to deal with precious resources. Some of these futuristic ideas may find their way into one or the other resort in Maldives. For example: Styromelt, a container that melts Styrofoam into smaller denser blocks that can be more easily transported and are recyclable; a shower, that uses 30 times less water through a continuous water filtering and recycling system; Diesel fuel,

MALDIVES MARINE BIOLOGIST IN ACTION: Maldives Tourism Adaptation Platform

The Maldives islands are a dream for tourists!By Barbara Gratzer, Resident Marine Biologist and member of MTAP committee

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13 Global Environment Facility/Least Developed Countries Fund

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made out of cooking oil; cooking gas made from animal and kitchen waste; or kitchen garbage processed into an organic fertilizer which is opti-mal for vegetation growth. All these are ideas that might be implemented in the future in the grant-winning resorts!

To apply for a grant and bring your idea to MTAP, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/Maldi-vesTourismAdaptationPlatform

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School children and locals from all over South Ari Atoll gathered on the pictur-esque local island of Dhigurah on the 29th

of June, 2013 for the first annual Maldives Whale Shark Festival. The event was a collaborative ini-tiative organized by Dhigurah Island Council and local NGO Maldives Whale Shark Research Pro-gramme (MWSRP) in association with IUCN. It was sponsored by Global Blue.

The Managing Director of MWSRP, Richard Rees, described the rationale behind the event as: “The Maldives Whale Shark Festival is about celebrating the fact we are lucky enough to have the largest fish in the oceans in Maldivian waters all year round, especially here in South Ari Marine Protected Area (MPA) and also to acknowledge their special significance to local communities in South Ari atoll. It’s also a fun, positive platform from which to raise awareness about conser-vation of whale sharks and their habitat, and to demonstrate the potential for collaboration between local communities, resorts and other

‘whale shark stakeholders’ in the area. We would love this event, the first of its kind in the Maldives, to continue to grow year on year, and eventually gain national status”.

In the weeks leading up to the event, the MWS-RP with the help of consultants from a London-based community arts company, Emergency Exit Arts, visited five schools (Mandhoo, Fenfushi, Maamigili, Dhangethi and Dhigurah) and staged creative workshops during which year-10 pupils learned about whale shark biology, ecology and conservation through art and crafts.

Each school was tasked with completing a sec-tion of a life size whale shark puppet - the cen-trepiece for the Festivals’ carnival style parade, along with other members of the whale shark food chain. The sections of the shark were symbolically brought together on the morning of the festival and adorned with photos of the 100 young people who were involved in its cre-ation.

FEATURED EVENT: First Whale Shark Festival

First annual Whale Shark FestivalBy Rifaee Rasheed, Marine Projects Officer, IUCN

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In the afternoon, the stage was set for a cultural bonanza and it didn’t disappoint. Alongside a ‘pop-up’ cultural exhibit coordinated by the host island, there were presentations by Dhigurah School captain Noorussalaam Ahmed and IUCN Marine Projects Officer Ms. Rifaee Rasheed on the ‘Whale sharks of South Ari atoll: Past, Present and Future’. Guests from three neighbouring re-sorts also attended and were taken on a journey through time - from Dhigurah’s whale shark hunt-ing past, to research findings of today all the way through to the future of sustainable whale shark tourism in the Maldives. As a way of getting the school students engaged in MWSRP whale shark conservation efforts, students were offered the opportunity to give names to five whale sharks in the programme’s database.

The energetic Kumburudhoo Bodu Beru band signalled the start of the parade and the big entrance of ‘Pearl’, the whale shark puppet as named by the schools. A wonderfully vibrant scene unfolded as several hundred people gath-ered to watch a colourful procession of plank-ton, bait fish, jelly fish, remoras and of course the whale shark! In hot pursuit was a feat of ingenu-ity from Dhigurah Island Council - a dhoni14 on wheels, a traditional “bodu mas”15 made out of thatched coconut leaves complete with crew! The parade came to an end with a symbolic low-ering of hooks from the fishermen.

The guest of honour of the event was Mr. Ibra-him Naeem, the Head and the Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the Maldives. Mr. Naeem gave a speech endors-ing the choice of Dhigurah as the island to host the first festival and stating the potential to es-tablish a management plan in South Ari Marine Protected Area (MPA), similar to that in Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll. Furthermore, he emphasized that the EPA would continue to support all whale shark conservation activities conducted in South Ari MPA, and praised the communities and the resorts for their collaborative work into making the festival a success.

In the spirit of the cooperation the event aimed to foster, Conrad Maldives resort offered a two-night stay to be auctioned to raise funds for the development of a permanent cultural centre on

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14 A dhoni is a traditional handcrafted Maldivian sailboat15 ‘bodu mas’, meaning ‘big fish’, is part of a enacted tale in which fish come and surround the fishermen

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Dhigurah. Vilamendhoo, Mirihi and Holiday Island resorts all donated transport to the local schools for the event.

The festivities continued late into that night as ‘Pearl’ the whale shark made another appear-ance, this time illuminated alongside glowing jel-lyfish and great bodu-beru16 music.

We hope that the Maldives Whale Shark Festival will become an annual event. On behalf of IUCN, Global Blue and MWSRP, we would like to ex-tend a huge thank you to Dhigurah Island and all those involved in making the first Annual Whale Shark festival a whale shark-sized success! For more information of MWSRP and their activities, visit http://maldiveswhalesharkresearch.org/

Copyright 2014.

By IUCN Maldives Marine Projects

All rights reserved. This document may, however, be freely reviewed, quoted, reproduced or translated, in part or full, provided the source is acknowledged.

IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme

[email protected] | www.iucn.org/marine

Photography courtesy and copyright of: Alissa Nagel, Tony Rouphael, Rachel Lambert, Mangroves for the Future Programme, Barbara Gratzer, Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme, Rifaee Rasheed, IUCN Maldives Marine Projects.

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Whale sharks are the largest sharks in the world. As filter feeders, they pose no threat to human beings and offer memorable wildlife viewing experiences. They are listed on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable, meaning that the species is declining and conservation measures are needed to help its survival. The Maldives banned whale shark fishing in 1995 and is supporting scientific studies and data collection by citizen-scientists, as well as efforts to minimize disturbances by wildlife viewing tours. As always in nature conservation, education and awareness-raising are key to long-term success: the event described here goes a long way in getting the support of the local population to the sharks’ conservation.

16 Bodu-beru: traditional music accompanied by drums

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Documents

Maldives Marine Newsletter - IUCN · PDF fileWhale Shark Festival. The Maldives is ... The newsletter is a platform to showcase ... and to attack from other dolphins