Neykurendhoo Mangrove Forest under threat!

H.dh Neykurendhoo is home to one of the biggest mangrove forests in the Maldives which is now under the threat of being critically damaged.

The mangove in the island of HDh. Neykurahdoo is one of the biggest in the country. But today we are faced with the stark reality that this natural gift for us might be taken away from us.

The island’s council left no stones unturned in their attempt to highlight this concerning outturn to the relevant authorities. Photos of the disintegrating mangrove that has been circulated in social media platforms accentuate the graveness of its condition.

In December 2018, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih pledged to protect and conserve H.dh Neykurendhoo’s mangrove forest and wetland as per his 100 day pledge to conserve– in accordance with international standards–at least one island, one reef, and one wetland in each atoll.

Neykurendhoo’s mangrove buffer spans into a bulky portion of the island, making it the largest mangrove forest in the Maldives. It is also the third largest in Asia and is among the top 10 largest mangrove forests in the world. The mangrove forest is endowed with rich varieties of plants with medicinal properties that are rarely found in any other part of the country.

“We need an immediate and orderly solution to restore our depleting mangroves. If we do not give prominence to this issue, we cannot sustainably conserve it to our future generations,”

states Neykurendhoo’s council in their pleading Facebook post.

Mangroves provide a natural protection against flooding, tsunamis, and other disasters.

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Mariam Shifa

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