A children’s evening was held today at Alif Alif Maalhos to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity 2015. This was a collaborative event organized by the Ministry of Environment and Energy, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Alif Alif Maalhos council.
The celebration held today at Malhos aimed at increasing awareness of the future generations of island communities on the importance of sustainable use of their surrounding natural resources.
The celebrations started off with a speech from MEE given by Assistant Director Ms. Ilham Atho Mohamed. In her speech, she highlighted the importance of biodiversity conservation and the strong bond between human and biodiversity.
This was followed by a short play on the interactions and importance of turtle, fish and corals, to each other and to human beings. The play was delivered through interactive messages by IUCN officers with the use of costumes and role-play.
Children were also encouraged to express their knowledge and understanding of marine life and biodiversity through art in a segment titled ‘Color the Sea’.
The event was concluded with an exciting battle relay among children and their parents, with each side representing their chosen animal, either a crab or a kangaroo.
The event was attended by students and teachers from Maalhos School, Maalhos Pre School, parents and a large number of people from the local community. The even was generously supported by the US Agency for International Development and project REGENERATE.
International Day for Biological Diversity is marked on the 22nd Day of May each year. The United Nations declared this day to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues worldwide. Every year, the day is celebrated with a theme. The theme of this year “Biodiversity for Sustainable Development”, is in conjunction with the UN’s the ongoing process to establish the post-2015 sustainable development agenda. To this regard, efforts are being made to ensure the integration of sustainable use of natural resources in achieving sustainable development.
