The Maldives’ nation continues to be a frontrunner in environmental activism with their latest announcement that they are turning 90,000 sq.kms (34,750 sq.miles) of their territorial waters into a shark sanctuary for the more than 30 different species that make their home in the region.
The island nation’s ban on fishing for sharks, as well as the trade in shark fins, is being applauded by shark conservation groups around the world.
“The Maldives were one of the first countries to recognize that sharks were a key reason tourists went to dive there,” said Matt Rand director of Global Shark Conservation for the Pew Environment Group. “Today’s announcement protects the Maldives’ tourism industry – the largest segment of their economy – from the ravages of the shark fin trade. It is a bold and farsighted move on the part of the government of the Maldives.”
Sharks are worth much more to the Maldives as a live tourist draw than as meat or shark fin exports. Pew estimates that the Maldives beaches and coral atolls contribute to more than 28% of the Maldives’ GDP.
Visit: Maldives Government
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