The Government has lifted restrictions on land reclamation and dredging which they issued earlier in an attempt to mitigate mass coral bleaching effects.
The Government has lifted restrictions on land reclamation and dredging which they issued earlier in an attempt to mitigate mass coral bleaching effects.
In a press release issued by the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, they stated that a halt for one month on dredging, beach nourishment, taking sand through the use of pumps, laying cables and pipes over reefs and such work had been issued as a mitigation step against coral bleaching.
However, they said, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has informed them that the ocean temperatures are now cooling, and coral bleaching is also on the decrease.
"The situation of coral bleaching has now transitioned from Alert 1 and 2 to watch stage now," the statement reads.
The Ministry said that although coral bleaching is on the decrease, the corals are still at a vulnerable stage.
They advised to abide by Environmental Impact Assessments when proceeding with projects, and highlighted that a study on the damage caused needs to be made.
In the past month, with the restrictions in place, over 200 land reclamation and dredging projects had come to a halt. Even with the restrictions now lifted, the ministry said that they, along with the EPA, will continue to monitor the situation.
"Photos and field observations received so far indicate that a large part of the reefs of Maldives have been affected by coral bleaching. Some forms of corals have received less damage. This was noticed in acropora and pocillopora corals. Reasons for this are noted as adaptation to climate change and changes in coral regrowth," the statement reads.
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