Eydhafushi hosts Manta Festival 2019
The second Maldives Manta Festival took place on Baa Atoll Eydhafushi from 20-21st September 2019 and was a booming success. The Baa Atoll Manta Festival, collaboratively spearheaded by Manta Trust, the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Baa Atoll Education Centre (BAEC), Baa Atoll and Eydhafushi Island Councils and Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru, engaged over 50 businesses and environmental organisations. Dozens of stalls and activities featured educational games designed to excite 320 participating students from thirteen schools about marine conservation.
The memorable opening ceremony featured a welcome dance by students of Manta Trust’s Moodhu Madharusaa Marine Education Program being conducted on Eydhafiushi together with Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Office for the students of BAEC, dancing to the theme song ‘Hanifaru Bay’, written by Abdulla Muaz and sung by Ahmed Shan.
Inspirational speeches were given by Baa Atoll Council President Mr Mabrook Naseer, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director General Ibrahim Naeem, Minister of State for Environment Dr. Abdulla Naseer and Chief Guest Vice President of Maldives Mr. Faisal Naseem. Hon. Faislan Naseem highlighted the sacrifices the community has made to be a part of the Biosphere Reserve and the importance of continuing to protect the Maldives’ precious environment, including the world’s largest recorded population of reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi).
Thirty stalls open to the public featured marine conservation-themed games and goodies from NGOs including the Olive Ridley Project, the Maldives Whale Shark Research Program, Atoll Marine Centre, Zero Waste Maldives and BeLeaf. Visitors engaged in competitions offering sustainable prizes, printed their own personalised reusable bag and shopped from Malé businesses including Island Bazaar, Oevaali Art shop and Pepper Dots. Manta Trust offered the unique opportunity to swim with manta rays in virtual reality whilst Maldives Post offered the international crowd the chance to send manta-themed postcards home.
Despite unfavourable weather which affected snorkelling-based activities, students were able to engage in a wide range of educational events at the school. Saturday 21st September saw the students getting involved in a waste segregation session for World Coastal Clean-up Day, hosted by BAEC, Soneva Fushi, Parley and Manta Trust. Students from thirteen islands bought jumbo bags of beach clean-up waste to the event and engaged in a hands-on session to learn how to properly separate recyclables.
A live art competition saw exciting prizes awarded to paintings which creatively highlighted the plight of the ocean, with the adult category winner receiving return flights from festival Airline Partner, Manta Air. Saturday afternoon brought the school drama competition, with each performance centred around a different charismatic megafauna species. BAEC received a standing ovation following an emotional performance focused on the threats of fishing on manta rays. Thulhaadhoo took home the second prize whilst K. Dhiffushi won third place following a performance packed with creative costumes.
In the month leading up to the festival, 200 students of ten schools from Baa and Raa Atoll were taken snorkelling with manta rays by partner resorts and the Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve team. Students spent an hour inside the World-renowned Hanifaru Bay, snorkelling with up to fifty of these gentle giants. The trips built on the event’s aim to inspire young Maldivians to become ocean advocates and engage more with water-based activities, featuring snorkelling equipment funded by donations from last year’s festival.
For Ms. Ifaasha Abdul Raheem, the festivals school coordinator, the experience was memorable:
“This has been one the best experiences in my life! Manta festival has not only boosted my love for nature, but it also has made me a better person in every possible way. This festival has brought an immense impact on our youth to fall in love with our environment and made them realise the crucial role they can play in their community! Most importantly, this was an opportunity for our students to explore, learn and a golden chance to show their creativity and love towards nature. I loved every bit of it! Glad to be part of this amazing event.”
The festival concluded with an energetic prize-giving ceremony and an air of anticipation and excitement for the next event.
The festival was generously sponsored by 15 resorts: Four Seasons, Vakkaru, Ocean Dimensions at Kihaa, Anantara Kihavah, Nautilus, Reethi Faru, Milaidhoo, Sea-Explorer and Reethi Beach, Finolhu, Amilla Fushi, Dusit Thani and Ocean Group, Westin Maldives, Euro-Divers Maldives and Meeru Island Resort, and Soneva Fushi. Festivities were covered by Media Partner PSM and Online Media Partner Eydhafushi Times. 260 visiting students were hosted overnight by Baa Atoll Education Centre, whilst guests reached Eydhafushi with support from Travel Partner MTCC and Airline Partner Manta Air.
Villa College Students visit Baa Atoll BR
GEF mission visits Baa Atoll
A team from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has completed a mission to Maldives to evaluate outcomes of 7 projects , some of which are ongoing and others completed with funding from GEF in Maldives and among those completed included in Baa Atoll.
The Government of Maldives together with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) launched the Atoll Ecosystem Conservation Project (AEC Project) in 2004 in Baa Atoll which was successfully completed in 2012.
The three main objectives of the Project were (a). Conservation of biological diversity, (b) Mainstreaming of biodiversity at a policy level and (c) the improvement of livelihood.
The two most important outcomes of the AEC Project was the declaration of Baa Atoll as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and the subsequent opening of Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Office in Eydhafushi to manage the Biosphere Reserve and the establishment of Baa Atoll Conservation Fund to financially sustain the programmes of the Biosphere Reserve Office.
The GEF Evaluation mission to the Maldives visited the country from 22 July – 1 August 2019 and visited visited Baa Atoll on 25 July 2019 and met with the staff of Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Office and met with the main project stakeholders in the atoll and undertook interviews and site visits to gather a deeper understanding of the extent and drivers of sustainability of the outcomes of GEF support towards SIDS’ main environmental challenges from the countries’ perspective.
The work by GEF is being carried out as part of the independence Evaluation Office of the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) in small island developing states (SIDS) and since Maldives has been selected for an evaluation mission covering the strategic cluster Evaluation (SCCE) of the SIDS by Global Environment Facility (GEF).
A separate meeting was also held with the then Project Manager of the Atoll Ecosystem Conservation Project Mr.Abdulla Shibau in Male’ on 31 July 2019 where the Consultant from GEF gathered information regarding the project, outcome, sustainability and way forward.