Visits to newly opened resorts in Baa
Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Office together with Baa Atoll Conservation Fund will be visiting mainly the newly opened resorts of Baa Atoll from 24 April 29 April.
The main purpose of these visits is to introduce the work undertaken by Baa Atoll BR to the management and dive schools of these resorts and to start discussions on teaming up with Baa Atoll BR in becoming partners.
In this regard the team today met with the Resort Manager of Vakkaru Maldives Mr.Guillaume Aublet, Mr.Gabriel Lima / Dive School Base Leader and Ms. Martha Chindowa / Executive Secretary today.
Visit was also made to Milaidhoo Island where they met with Milaidhoo Island representatives from resort management and the Dive School
Mendhoo-Niniligaa Region Managemenet Plan discussions
A meeting was held with Sonevafushi GR Manager, Soneva Male' Office Manager upon request from Sonevafushi with Director General of Environmental Protection Agency, representatives from Ministry of Environment and Energy,Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Office and Baa Atoll Conservation Fund at Ministry of Environment and Energy today.
The main discussion points of the meteing mainly focussed on the protected area of Mendhoo-Nibiligaa Region, management plan for the region and the management of Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve and
on the general management of Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve.
The management Plan for NIbiliga-Mendhoo is presently at its draft stage and upon completion of the draft it will be sent for comments to the main resource users of this region of Baa Atoll before being finalized.
Huge ghost net recovered from Baa Atoll
Baa Atoll BR Rangers while working in the field came across with a huge floating ghost net today which has been removed from the sea and will be disposed of with the upcoming Cleanup of Hanifaru Island.
Ghost nets are commercial fishing nets that have been lost, abandoned, or discarded at sea. Every year they are responsible for trapping and killing millions of marine animals including sharks, rays, bony fish, turtles, dolphins, whales, crustaceans, and birds. Ghost nets cause further damage by entangling live coral, smothering reefs and introducing parasites and invasive species into reef environments.
Research is ongoing to better understand why ghost nets end up in the ocean, yet the cause and magnitude of the negative impact of ghost nets on the economic and ecological resources in the Indian Ocean remain unknown.
The Olive Ridley Project which has its base in Cocopalm Dhunikolhu, Baa Atoll focuses on identifying the key factors contributing to ghost nets in the Indian Ocean.