Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim said on Wednesday that the Maldives’ efforts to protect endangered marine species are being acknowledged the world over.
He said a record number of countries have expressed support for the Maldives proposal on the protection of Silky Sharks to be presented to the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species CITES COP 17 which is scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, this year.
Highlighting the importance of conserving silky sharks, Thoriq said the species are associated with tuna schools, and that the Maldives is seeking backing for the proposal to list the silky shark in Appendix II of CITES at COP 17.
As part of the effort, the Ministry held the Second International Shark and Ray Conservation Symposium in Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru.
The two-day symposium featured presentations from world leading experts focusing on cutting edge shark science, global implementation success and growing concern for sharks, shifts in global shark fin trade, element cycles in and Earth ecosystems, in addition to other topics.
Two presentations were given by the Maldives, one on “shark and ray conservation and ecotourism in Maldives” by Senior Policy Executive at the Environment Ministry, Dr. Abdulla Naseer, and the other on “silky shark proposal at COP17 - an overview” by Director General of Marine Research Centre Dr. Mohamed Shiham Adam.
The symposium was hosted in partnership with the governments of Sri Lanka and Fiji focusing on rising global recognition of the importance of shark and ray conservation, new developments and trends in in global trade of these species, preparation for the upcoming CITES COP17, and the suite of benefits shark conservation provides to governments across the world, with the Maldives as a primary example of shark and ray ecotourism.