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Research indicates possible extinction of turtles from the Maldives

Mohamed Rehan
20 February 2022, MVT 14:37
Turtles found in the Maldivian oceans are facing threats of extinction --
Mohamed Rehan
20 February 2022, MVT 14:37

A research has indicated on the alarming possibility of a near wipe-out of sea turtles from the Maldivian seas.

The research is part of the ongoing research and analysis initiative by the Maldives Ministry of Environment on living creatures found in the island nation and their possible extinction.

According to the Ministry, which had communicated about the efforts on Sunday, 20th February, its objective of curating a "National Red list" will present details on which species of living creatures are currently endangered or facing near extinction.

The endangered species is gauged based on the guidelines and policies issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) "Red List of Threatened Species."

Though several countries have adopted IUCN's guidelines, the Maldives had so far not prepared an official endangered species red-list.

The current efforts by the Ministry of Environment in association with US Aid's grant and IUCN's collaboration aims to prepare the said list.

A technical committee had been assembled by the ministry, under whose guidance a total of three workgroups have conducted an assessment on three various types of living creatures found in the Maldives which include sea turtles, mangrove plants, and corals.

According to the latest update from the ministry, the workgroup assigned with the assessment of sea turtles has completed their analysis. The findings of the assessment have indicated an alarming rate of extinction of regular sea turtles while the threat level for other types of sea turtles can be analyzed with additional data.

The research also indicated that sea turtles mostly frequent the atolls of Baa, Kaafu, Thaa, and Laamu with sightings of 1,170 ordinary sea turtles just last year.

Moreover, according to the findings, the extinction of sea turtles is sped up due to fishing activities and the contamination of underwater habitats with waste disposal.

In addition to this, there have been a total of 3,982 sightings of sea tortoises during 2021 as well and most were discovered from the atolls of Alif Alif, Baa, Haa Alif, and Kaafu. Tortoises face endangerment over fishing-related activities, destruction of reefs and corals as well as contamination of underwater habitats.

The research also found the illegal poaching and business of sea turtles to be another catalyst speeding up the extinction of these creatures.

Meanwhile, assessments related to the Maldivian ecosystem indicate that the island nation has over 280 different types of corals, over 1,200 different types of fish, 40 different types of sharks and rays, 20 different types of dolphins and whale sharks, five types of sea turtles, 200 different types of birds, over 580 different types of trees and more than 15 different types of mangrove plants.

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