Category: Environment

“It’s cool at 25”: environment ministry launches energy saving campaign

Electricity used for air-conditioning accounts for 60 to 70 percent of energy consumption by households and offices in the Maldives, Minister of Environment and Energy Thoriq Ibrahim has revealed.

In his message on the occasion of World Energy Day yesterday (October 22), Thoriq noted that the slogan for the ministry’s campaign to conserve and reduce energy use is ‘It’s cool at 25’.

“Studies show that the most appropriate temperature for cooling buildings in the Maldives is 25 degrees celsius,” he said.

“Therefore, maintaining temperature at this level will benefit us directly and indirectly. My hope is for the Maldives to become an example for other countries in energy use.”

Thoriq noted that the Maldives had one of the highest rates of energy use per capita in the South Asia region, adding that the vulnerability of the economy to changes in the price of oil poses threats to “Maldivian sovereignty”.

Thoriq said energy security was essential for a developing country.

Individuals could also contribute to energy saving by using environment-friendly energy efficient appliances, he continued, which though expensive would reduce costs in the long-term.

The year-long ‘It’s cool at 25’ energy saving campaign was launched this morning at the head office of the State Trading Organisation (STO) in Malé.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Thoriq said about MVR8,000 (US$519) – or seven percent – from electricity bills could be saved annually by raising the temperature on air-conditioning units.

For a household with three 9,000 BTU air-conditioning units, Thoriq said about MVR18,000 (US$1,167) a year could be saved by setting the temperature to 25 degrees celsius.

Moreover, a one percent reduction in oil imports would amount to US$5 million, Thoriq observed.

STO Managing Director Adam Azim meanwhile noted that a one percent reduction in electricity bills would result in enough savings to build homes for 75 families.

Substantial savings have been made through STO’s ‘Save 50 million’ cost-cutting efforts, Azim said.

Renewable energy

In his Energy Day message, Thoriq also stressed the importance of using renewable sources of energy for sustainable economic development.

Last month, the energy ministry announced plans to generate 30 percent of electricity used during daylight hours in the 196 inhabited islands of the Maldives from renewable energy sources.

A function was held to mark World Energy Day yesterday on the island of Kudahuvadhoo in Dhaalu atoll to establish a 203 kilowatt photovoltaic (PV) system with assistance from the German government.

At the event, an agreement was signed between the environment ministry and GIZ (German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation) to hand over the PV system.

According to the ministry, the government’s utility company – the Fenaka Corporation – would be responsible for operating and maintaining the system.

The Kudahuvadhoo island council meanwhile endorsed the ‘It’s cool at 25’ energy saving campaign before a children’s fair was held in the evening.

“In this fair prizes were awarded to children who took part in the activities like drawings related to energy efficiency,” explained the environment ministry. “In this fair, equipments related to energy day and energy efficiency were exhibited to the visitors.”

An awareness raising workshop for the public was meanwhile held today “to provide information on the PV system established in the island and the energy efficiency” with presentations given by the ministry and the Maldives Energy Authority.

Speaking at yesterday’s ceremony, Thoriq noted that 30 percent of GDP in the Maldives was used to import oil at a cost of US$500 million, which was “a challenge to reaching sustainable development” and “a major burden on the economy”.

Generating electricity from renewable sources would reduce the dependency on fossil fuels, Thoriq said.

Diesel fuel accounts for the bulk of the energy supply in the country – about 82.5% in 2009.

According to the Maldives Customs Service, of the MVR7.2 billion (US$466.9 million) worth of goods imported in the first quarter of 2014, one-third was spent on petroleum products.

Thoriq told state broadcaster Television Maldives (TVM) this week that solar panels would be installed in five islands in 2015, including a 1.5 megawatt PV system in Addu City and a 4 megawatt system in Malé.

The environment ministry was also studying the possibility of generating electricity through other renewable sources, Thoriq said, such as tidal energy and wind.

In January, a pioneering desalination project on the island of Gulhi, in Kaafu atoll became the first place in the world to produce desalinated drinking water using waste heat from electricity generation.

In August, the environment ministry announced a number of initiatives to minimise the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, including the Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP) set to “transform the Maldives energy sector.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Maldivians could be among first climate refugees, warns Nasheed

The Maldivian people will be among the world’s first climate change refugees due to sea level rise if global warming is not averted, former President Mohamed Nasheed has warned.

In his keynote address at the ‘International Bar Association’s (IBA) annual conference showcase session on climate change and human rights’ in Tokyo today, the opposition leader stressed that climate change is not an abstract concept to Maldivians but an existential threat.

“The inundation of the Maldives is just a generation away,” he warned.

“When I was elected president, I caused some controversy by saying we would someday have to leave our islands. I was hopeful then that we would be able to change the way our story ends. But I fear it is too late now for the Maldives.”

“The world has lost the window of opportunity to mend its ways. Big emitters have sentenced us. The world temperature will rise, and the seas will rise over our nose.”

Nasheed noted that Maldivians have lived in the Indian Ocean islands “scattered across our distant archipelago, for thousands of years.”

“When our islands succumb to the water, we will leave. We will take with us as much of our culture and customs as we can carry. Our stories, our history, our food; our distinctive language, and its beautiful script,” he said.

“But that will be nothing compared to what we leave behind. We will leave behind our homes. Our streets. Our buildings,” he continued.

“We will leave behind the beautiful Friday Mosque, carved out of coral stone three centuries ago. We will leave behind the trees we grew up with, the sands we played on, the sounds we hear every day. The sea will claim those things, and with it, the soul of a people.”

Nasheed recalled words of wisdom shared by an elderly woman he met on an island.

“‘Mr President we can move a people,’ she said; ‘but where will the sounds go? Where will the colours go? Where will the butterflies go?'”

If Maldivians become climate refugees, Nasheed said the exiled population would face “issues of citizenship, sovereignty, and even reparations.”

“Can you have sovereignty and dignity without land? Can an independent nation exist on foreign soil?” he asked.

“And what restitution, if any, can be made for the damage done to us – damage we warned about, but did not cause? I fear that these questions will be answered one day, not in the abstract, but in a court of law. And I fear that we, the people of the Maldives, will be the star witness.”

In lieu of environmental protection, Nasheed said Maldivians are looking to the international community for legal protection and to “help us prosecute those responsible after the fact, if they will not accept responsibility before it.”

Nasheed welcomed a recent report by the IBA on climate justice, which he said showed “the clear connections between climate change and human rights”.

Cautious optimism

While it may be too late to stop climate change, Nasheed said there was still hope that it could be slowed down by changing the world economy.

“Our starting point should be our end goal: a zero-carbon economy. Rather than aiming to limit climate change to within a tolerable level, we should just stop polluting. In the Maldives, we had a plan – approved by the World Bank – to go completely carbon neutral by 2020,” he said.

“On a global level, studies suggest a net-zero emissions economy is possible by 2050 – a timeline that is consistent with preventing the most dangerous climate change.”

While markets have failed to place a price on carbon, Nasheed said the “disruptive brilliance of the tech sector” could be harnessed to “the clean energy ambitions of environmental movement.”

“Six years ago, the ‘App Store’ didn’t exist; last year, it made $10 billion in sales. Today, most of us carry more computing power in our pockets than the Apollo astronauts took to the moon,” he observed.

“These kind of exponential leaps are happening in the energy industry, too. The first hybrid car was launched in 1997; today, more than 9 million have been sold. Since 2008, the price of solar modules has dropped by 80 percent.”

On climate change adaptation, Nasheed observed that coral reefs and mangroves worked as natural defences against the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, suggesting that corals could be genetically modified and strengthened.

Nasheed went on to criticise UN climate negotiations, which he contended “have been been stuck in a rut, with countries hiding behind labels, and few showing leadership.”

“It may be too late to save homelands in Kiribati, or Tuvalu, or the Maldives,” he said.

“It may be too late to save the species which depend on stable temperatures, clean air, or placid seas. But it is not too late to change our ways.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

US sailors visit children’s home, join clean-up event in Vilimalé

No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan

Officers and crew from the USS Rodney M Davis visited the Kudakudhinge Hiya orphanage or children’s home in Vilimalé yesterday (October 8 ) and assisted with painting and repairs.

“The American sailors also worked with a local environment group Save the Beach Maldives to clean up island debris later that afternoon,” reads a press release from the US embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The USS Rodney M Davis – an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate with the US 7th Fleet – visited the Maldives this week on its last tour of duty.

The 27-year-old, 4000-ton, 435-feet long, and 45-feet wide frigate is due to be retired by the US Navy. Local journalists were invited for a tour of the ship on Tuesday (October 7).

In its last major operation in 2010, the frigate seized over 1,500kg of drugs from a vessel in the South Pacific Ocean.

Vice Admiral Robert Thomas said earlier this week that he expected the visit to the Maldives would be “tremendously beneficial to build on our excellent relationships with the maritime nations of the Indian Ocean.”

“The area is critical to regional security, and the partnerships we build with this training will go a long way to creating a more professional and stable maritime environment,” he was quoted as saying in an earlier press release.

The embassy meanwhile noted that the sailors volunteered their personal “liberty” time to participate in the activities in Vilimalé yesterday with support from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and Ministry of Law and Gender.

“Time off is very precious because our sailors put in long hours while we are at sea,” said Lt. Russell Wolfkiel, public affairs officer for the Rodney M. Davis.

“One of the highlights of deployment is the opportunity to engage with the local communities when we visit exotic ports like Maldives.”

The American sailors repainted the interior of the orphanage while special fire safety trainers explained how to service fire extinguishers and demonstrated their proper usage.

“This is very important for us. We are very appreciative of your team to come here and do some painting and to take some time to explain the fire alarm systems,” said Mohamed Shafeeg, deputy director of Kudakudhinge Hiyaa.

A second group of sailors meanwhile joined a clean-up event organised by a local youth group called Save the Beach Maldives. The debris collected from across the island included heavy concrete pieces left over from construction projects.

“We hope more people want to help places like this in the future because it’s not just a problem for Maldives here.  It’s a problem for everyone around the world,” said Fathimath Thanzeela Naeem, the lead coordinator for the clean-up.

“We are all connected by the ocean so I’m sure that bigger countries like the US could make an impact as well.”

The Rodney M Davis departed today after concluding its four-day stopover.

Aside from the day out in Vilimalé, the sailors also participated in sporting activities with the MNDF Coast Guard, “building camaraderie and friendships with the local mariners.”

“I like being able to come overseas and help out other people and see how they live,” said Petty Officer Daniel Cornede.

“Especially when it comes to cleaning up the beach, because I come from Hawaii, and this is how I was raised to pick up trash off the beach.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

MIFCO yellow fin tuna receives Friends of the Sea eco-label

No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan

The state-owned Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company’s (MIFCO) hand line fleet has received certification from the NGO Friends of the Sea, a leading international certification project for products from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.

The certification “authorises the tuna processor and exporter to carry the eco-label for yellowfin tuna from its certified vessels operating in the Western Indian Ocean,” Undercurrent News reported on Friday (October 3).

“Friend of the Sea audit requirements are very strict so we are proud to have obtained the certification,” MIFCO CEO Adhly Ismail was quoted as saying.

“We will continue to rely on Friend of the Sea to increase the number of certified vessels.”

Last week, sustainable fisheries consultants MacAlister Elliott & Partners trained and appointed a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) auditor in the Maldives.

The auditor, Seema Ali, will specialise in MSC assessment programmes, awarding sustainable fisheries certification to local companies in a move aimed to support employment in the Maldives.

The Maldives’ skipjack tuna fisheries industry received the MSC certification in 2012 for its low-impact pole-and-line technique where each wild fish is caught individually to reduce by-catch.

MSC Chain of Custody (CoC) surveillance audits of the Maldives skipjack tuna industry were conducted recently by Kat Collinson of MacAlister Elliott.

CoC standards for seafood traceability ensures the MSC eco-label is only displayed on seafood from sustainable sources, explained MacAlister Elliott.

The Maldivian fishing industry has declined in recent years, falling behind tourism and construction as the country’s third-largest industry.

While approximately 185,000 tonnes of fish were caught in 2006, the number had dropped to about 70,000 tonnes in 2011.

According to the latest monthly economic review from the Maldives Monetary Authority, fish purchases in August 2014 rose compared to the previous month and stood at 2,457.2 metric tonnes.

“However, a 48% decline was recorded compared to the corresponding period of 2013,” the central bank explained.

“In August 2014, both the volume and earnings from fish export fell compared to the corresponding month of 2013. As such, the volume of fish exports fell by 56%, while the earnings on fish exports declined by 48% during this period. The decline in the volume and earnings of fi sh exports was contributed mainly by the fall in export of frozen skipjack tuna.”

During the past five years, the value of the nation’s fisheries industry declined from MVR489 million (US$31.7 million) to MVR321 million (US$20.8 million) with a corresponding fall of 3.3 percent of the economy to 1.1 percent in 2012.

UK Supermarket chain Sainsbury announced earlier this year that it had introduced the country’s first certified sustainable tuna sandwich using the MSC eco-label.

“By choosing tuna from the Maldives tuna fishery, Sainsbury’s is supporting artisanal fishermen who have made an international difference to the way the Indian Ocean fishery is managed,” the Marine Steward Council’s Senior Country Manager Toby Middleton said in May.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs recently started awarding halal certification to local fisheries companies in order to open up Islamic markets for export.

The move followed notification from the European Union that extension of the duty-free status of imported fish from the Maldives would be rejected due to he country’s failure to comply with international conventions concerning freedom of religion.

The Maldives exports 40 percent of its US$100 million fishing industry to the EU, its single largest export partner by value.

Maldives’ Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shafeeu said the government’s application for a year’s extension under the ‘GSP Plus’ programme was declined as it had not ratified all 27 required international conventions.

He warned that the sudden imposing of a 14- 20 percent duty on fish imports would lose the Maldives its competitive advantage over the larger fishing fleets of nearby Sri Lanka and Thailand, and reduce profits to “a marginal value.”

Until January 2014, fish exports were duty-free under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) program, a non-reciprocal trade agreement extended to developing countries.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Local sustainable fisheries auditor appointed in Maldives

Sustainable fisheries consultants MacAlister Elliott & Partners have trained and appointed a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) auditor in the Maldives.

Seema Ali will specialise in MSC assessment programmes, awarding sustainable fisheries certification to local companies in a move aimed to support employment in the Maldives.

“It is great to have someone based in the Maldives who can take on new MSC assessment programmes and also manage existing ones, for example through surveillance audits,” said Kat Collinson of MacAlister Elliott.

The Maldives’ skipjack tuna fishery is the first Indian Ocean tuna fishery to receive the MSC certification in 2012 for its low-impact technique where each wild fish is caught individually to reduce by-catch.

“Seema has embraced the role with great enthusiasm and she will also be well placed to take on new and existing MSC assessments in other parts of the Indian Ocean such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia,” Collinson added.

Collinson undertook MSC Chain of Custody (CoC) surveillance audits of the Maldives skipjack tuna pole and line fishery while in the Maldives. CoC standards for seafood traceability ensures the MSC ecolabel is only displayed on seafood from sustainable sources, explained MacAlister Elliott.

Traditionally the Maldives’ primary industry, the fishing industry has declined in recent years, falling behind tourism and construction as the country’s third-largest industry.

The volume of fish catch in the country has been steadily declining for the past seven years. While approximately 185,000 tonnes of fish were caught in 2006, the number had dropped to about 70,000 tonnes in 2011.

During the past five years, the value of the nation’s fisheries industry declined from MVR489 million (US$31.7 million) to MVR321 million (US$20.8 million) with a corresponding fall of 3.3 percent of the economy to 1.1 percent in 2012.

Statistics released by the Maldives Monetary Authority this month showed that fish purchases declined by 44 percent to 2,124.7 metric tonnes between July 2013 and July 2014.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has recently started awarding halal certification to local fisheries companies in order to open up Islamic markets for export.

The move followed notification from the European Union that extension of the duty-free status of imported fish from the Maldives would be rejected due to he country’s failure to comply with international conventions concerning freedom of religion.

UK Supermarket chain Sainsbury announced earlier this year that it had introduced the country’s first certified sustainable tuna sandwich using the MSC eco-label.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Former President Gayoom calls for leadership of small island states in climate change

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has called upon leaders of developed nations to allow small island states to lead the world in efforts to combat climate change.

“We say to the leaders of the emitting countries, if you are not ready to lead the world on climate change, then give us the opportunity,” Gayoom appealed in a statement delivered at the 3rd International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Apia, Samoa on Monday (September 1).

“SIDS are ready to lead. Don’t stand in our way.”

Despite challenges posed by the small size of SIDS, Gayoom said “size alone does not determine our destiny.”

“With the right policies and right choices we can become our own masters who will shape our future,” he said.

“To do that we need to establish partnerships; meaningful partnerships and enduring partnerships. Partnerships that are defined not by more aid, but by more opportunities. Opportunities that small states could seize to help themselves and to live their dreams.”

The former president is representing the Maldives at the four-day conference as a special envoy of President Abdulla Yameen along with Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim.

The objectives of the conference include “identifying new and emerging challenges and opportunities for the sustainable development of SIDS and means of addressing them” and “identifying priorities for the sustainable development of SIDS to be considered in the elaboration of the post-2015 UN development agenda.”

No progress

Despite “numerous pledges” at UN conferences where “ambitious action plans” were adopted, Gayoom noted that there was “very little to show in terms of real progress.”

“Global CO2 emissions continue unabated. Our fragile ecosystems face increasing threats. Sustainable and innovative solutions we initiate remain unrealised because of lack of international support,” he said.

“It is deeply disappointing to the Maldives, and to the people of all small island developing states to observe the lack of action, particularly by the industrialised economies.”

The objective of SIDS as a separate category was “to help small states in coping with vulnerability,” he added, as well as to coordinate policy decisions “instead of defining these states in terms of what they are not.”

Climate change should be the “core issue of concern” for both SIDS and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Gayoom said.

While the Maldives was considered a beautiful and exotic tourist destination, Gayoom said the country was threatened by rising sea temperatures, unpredictable weather patterns, coral bleaching, increased salination of fresh water, accelerated beach erosion, and erratic migration of fish stocks.

The Maldives along with other SIDS have “consistently called for genuine action for climate change, to not bury it in the political manoeuvring that is a reality of today’s international diplomacy, to not wait until it is too late,” he said.

Despite vulnerability of small states, Gayoom said SIDS were also “valuable contributors in proposing common solutions to common problems.”

In the past four decades, the Maldives has shown that small states are both viable and “have extraordinary ability to survive and even thrive in the turbulent global political arena.”

He referred to the Maldives drawing international attention to sea level rise and security threats for small states in 1987.

Gayoom suggested that the declaration of the conference – the ‘Samoa Pathway’ – could “change the course of history in climate change and sustainable development negotiations.”

The declaration could help small states build resilience and develop economies driven by innovation and new technologies, he continued, which would “encourage free enterprise and individual initiative.”

Following today’s session of the conference, Gayoom tweeted,

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Maldives’ economy hardest hit by climate change: Asian Development Bank

Climate change could cause annual economic losses of over 12% of the Maldives’ GDP by the end of this century, says a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) climate and economics report released today (August 19).

“A potential ocean rise of up to 1 meter by 2100 will have devastating consequences for this island archipelago, where the highest natural point is only a little over 2 meters above sea level,” said Bindu Lohani, ADB Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development.

The Maldives is the most at-risk country in South Asia from climate change impacts, said the report titled ‘Assessing the Costs of Climate Change and Adaptation in South Asia’.

Given the uncertainties of climate change, there is a slight possibility that the losses could swell to more than 38%. But if mitigation and adaptation steps are taken, the Maldives will benefit the most in the region, with annual losses limited to around 3.5% of GDP by 2100, the report concluded.

Programmes and Advocacy Manager at local environmental NGO Ecocare Maeed Mohamed Zahir, however, believes the government is currently far from taking such steps.

“There is no clear-cut adaptation strategy,” he added.

Energy supplies at risk

According to the report, the Maldives’ energy supplies are particularly at risk from climate change.

The Maldives’ energy vulnerabilities are related to the low elevation and small size of islands, the report explains. Their low elevation and narrow width makes powerhouses and associated infrastructure vulnerable to flooding and damage from severe weather events.

The report also notes that, with the commitment to become carbon neutral by 2020, the country is increasingly investing in renewable energy technologies, particularly solar power, for which there is abundant solar energy — 400 million MW per annum.

The environment ministry has recently announced a number of initiatives to minimise the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, including a pledge to convert 30 percent of all electrical use to renewable energy, and the Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP) set to “transform the Maldives energy sector.”

However, President Abdulla Yameen has also pledged to explore for crude oil in the Maldives as an alternative means of diversifying the economy and supplementing fuel supply.

Vector-borne diseases

In addition, the report highlighted that vector-borne diseases could be a major public health concern for the Maldives in the future.

Dengue is now endemic in the country with seasonal outbreaks, observed the report. Epidemiological data shows changes in the seasonal nature of dengue, spreading across the atolls, and leading finally to epidemic proportions.

Morbidity from dengue by 2090 could increase to 34,539, with 324 deaths per year, the report stated.

Moreover, although malaria is not prevalent in the Maldives, it could be future concern if left unchecked said the ADB.

During 1990–2003, the number of malaria cases averaged 16 per year, with no fatalities. However, the report warns that annual morbidity due to malaria incidence by 2090 could reach more than 200.

Unprepared

Ecocare’s Zahir argued that the government is at best unclear, and at worst unprepared, for climate change. Speaking with Minivan News, Zahir appealed to the government to reveal their policy for adaptation in the face of climate change.

He went on to explain that in the last four to five years there has been no clear stance on climate change from the government.

“The number one priority is to make everyone aware if they have one,” he said.

Back in 2009, former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, unveiled a plan to make the Maldives carbon-neutral within a decade. Zahir suggested that the following administration’s have been less clear on the issue.

“In the last two governments we don’t have a clear-cut climate change plans,” he argued. “From 2009 to now – it’s a disaster for us.”

Ecocare has previously accused the Maldives as being “not prepared at all” for the projected acceleration of sea level rise caused by the collapse of a glacier system in Western Antarctica.

Officials from the Ministry of Environment and Energy were not responding to Minivan News at the time of publishing.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Slow Loris spared euthanasia by UK conservationist group

The slow loris illegally trafficked into the Maldives has been spared euthanasia after Monkey World – a center for abused and neglected primates – offered to re-home the animal at their sanctuary in Dorset, England.

“This has never been done before, to move endangered species overseas from the Maldives. This has been an amazing, unprecedented international effort,” Dr Alison Cronin, Director of Monkey World told the press in Malé today (August 13).

The small primate, which is an Appendix I listed species of CITES – giving it the highest level of protection in international trade of wildlife – was discovered during a police raid in the capital in January.

Shazra Shihab from the Ministry of Environment and Energy explained that the government had been trying to rehome the animal ever since, but had struggled due to issues relating to costs, transportation, and the loris’s unknown country of origin.

“However, with tireless dedication from one party, and cooperation from all relevant government organisations of both countries, as well as dedication from other involved parties on both sides, we have now found a home for the slow loris,” she added.

“I first heard that the Bengal Loris had been confiscated in the Maldives by colleagues who work in Asia rescuing wildlife,” Dr Cronin told Minivan News.

The animal will now be taken back to the UK and paired with another of its species, she explained.

“We believe this to be a male Loris, and we have a home for it in England with a female Loris, so he will have a wife,” Dr Cronin added.

“We’ve been doing this work around the world for more than 25 years and I was impressed, heart-warmed and felt that everybody here deserved support and encouragement for what they’ve done.”

Echoing Dr Cronin’s sentiments, Gabriella Tamási from the International Airline Group IAG Cargo remarked, “this is totally unprecedented, what we have done to transport the slow loris, as currently our travel operations in the Maldives are not approved for live animal transport.”

Illegal slow loris trade

The illegal Loris pet trade boomed after video clips which depict the animals as a cute and docile pets went viral. However, the video craze has obscured the trauma and suffering that the animals endure at the hands of illegal traffickers.

Far from its cuddly depiction, the Loris secretes toxins on its wrists which – when combined with their saliva – deliver a toxic and very harmful bite, Dr Cronin explained.

“Most commonly what happens is they get grabbed and somebody forces their mouth open, and they take large fingernail clippers and simply cut the animals teeth off at the gum line.”

“It’s a very bloody, painful and horrible process, leaving the animal crippled,” revealed Dr Cronin.

According to Dr Cronin, the Bengal slow loris in the Maldives has not been checked over yet, as she prefers to minimise the stress for the animal during the transportation process.

“The last thing it needs is more stress,” she stated, “we’ll wait until we get it back to Monkey World.”

Dr Cronin also revealed plans to check the slow loris’ DNA once back in the UK, to find out the animal’s country of origin, which may then present the possibility to a return to the wild.

“Everybody in the Maldives can feel pleased and proud of both the law enforcement and the government ministry for bothering to stick with this for so long,“ Dr Cronin concluded.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Environment minister inaugurates coastal protection project in Raa Maduvvari

Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim inaugurated a coastal protection project on the island of Maduvvari in Raa atoll on Thursday (August 7).

“Under this project a total length of 890 meters of coastal area will be protected in R.Maduvvari,” the ministry explained in a statement.

“This project is contracted to MTCC for MVR33 million from government budget. The government is taking measures of coastal protection in several islands throughout Maldives with the government budget and donor agencies.”

According to the environment ministry, island council members, senior officials from the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC), and Maduvvari MP Mohamed Ameeth participated in the inauguration ceremony.

In his speech, Thoriq noted that 90 percent of islands in the Maldives was affected by coastal erosion and expressed hope that the successful implementation of the project in Maduvarri would mitigate the impact of erosion.

In July, Vaavu Fulidhoo and Lhaviyani Kurendhoo faced increased coastal erosion caused by ‘Udha’ swell waves during the south-west monsoon season.

Fulidhoo faced the loss of the island’s football stadium while the local graveyard on Kurendhoo was just 15 feet from the encroaching waves.

An official from the Kurendhoo island council told Minivan News at the time that a now- stalled harbour project of the island includes a 309-meter rock revetment, the construction of a 207 meter concrete quay-wall, and a 582 meter rock armour breakwater.

The MVR40 million (US$2.5 million) project was handed over to MTCC in March 2013 and was expected to be completed within a year.

The Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) Senior Environment Analyst Rifath Naeem meanwhile explained that harbour construction was very likely to be an underlying reason for the increasing number of islands with chronic beach erosion.

Harbour construction could interfere with the natural movement of sand, Naeem said, which forms and sustains islands.

“Sometimes construction of harbours or other development activity could throw off the balance in this system. When the complex dynamics and equilibrium of sand movement are affected by such activity, it could increase accretion or erosion of beaches. What’s happening to the beach of one island could affect that of another island in that same reef,” he said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)