Gov’t Signs MoU to Create an Ecosystem Atlas of Maldives
Photo: Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy
The Ministry of Climate Change, Environment, and Energy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Group of Earth Observations (GEO) to develop an atlas of ecosystems in the Maldives.
The project, named “Global Ecosystem Atlas Accelerator for the Maldives,” is led by GEO and has selected the Maldives as the pilot country. The agreement was signed by Minister Thoriq Ibrahim at a ceremony held in Malé yesterday.
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The Ministry stated that the atlas will assist in decision-making for development projects, environmental protection plans, natural resource management, and achieving the government’s conservation targets. These targets include enhancing natural parks, biosphere reserves, and ecotourism across the Maldives.
Additionally, the Ministry is working on setting further targets under the national biodiversity strategic action plan, which is aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The atlas created under this project will feature descriptions of ecosystem types, spatial data, technical documentation, and supporting materials. The Ministry noted that the atlas will expand on the ecosystem types identified in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) under the REGENERATE project funded by USAID.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Thoriq emphasized the importance of such an ecosystem atlas for a country like the Maldives, which is heavily reliant on its coastal and marine ecosystems.
“We need to ensure that we use our natural resources sustainably, protect and effectively manage ecologically significant areas, and restore degraded areas,” he said.
