ENDhERI presented findings from the Ecological Baseline Assessment that was conducted in Laamu Atoll earlier this year.

This assessment was carried out by Maldives Resilient Reefs and focused on 5 environmentally significant areas in the atoll: Fonadhoo dive point, Isdhoo Muli, Mathigulhi area, Mundoo channel and Reethi haa and Hudhufaru area.

The scope of work included survey of coral reefs, seagrass and vegetation as well as megafauna species diversity and water quality surveys.

Yesterday’s presentation was attended by island councils, women’s development committees, civic society organizations as well as ENDhERI scholarship students from the environmental management course at MNU Gan campus.

ENDhERI Project held an Ocean Accounting Symposium and a Capacity Building Workshop on Natural Capital Accounting on 24th and 25th November 2024 respectively.

The symposium included presentations on utilizing remote sensing to collect data in the Maldives, and the importance of historical baselines for ecosystems, and sharing of the preliminary findings from the natural capital account establishing work carried out by the team from University of New South Wales. In addition to UNSW and Global Ocean Accounting Partnership (GOAP), sessions were also presented by Maldives National University, Maldives Space Research Organization and Maldives Resilient Reefs.

The symposium also included presentations from environmental science students of MNU based on their own research.

The capacity building training workshop covered topics from ocean accounting framework and key concepts to ecosystem services and using natural capital accounts for policy and decision making.

ENDhERI held the awarding ceremony for the recipients of the second round of the Small Grants program in Laamu Fonadhoo. Grant agreements were also signed between the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy and the island councils of Gan, Hithadhoo and Maabaidhoo to assist in the implementation of the Protected Area management plans in these three islands.

Laamu Farmers Association from Fonadhoo and Maldives Heritage Society and Maldives Resilient Reefs both from Laamu Gan were the three NGOs that qualified for the grants this year. This year's winning application include protected area management and awareness, innovative agriculture and ocean literacy citizen science programs.

Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim, Laamu Atoll Council President Ismail Ali, and council presidents and senior officials from Gan, Maabaidhoo and Hithadhoo council also attended this event.

ENDhERI project held a two-day capacity building training in L. Kadhdhoo for all waste and resource management focal points of Laamu island councils, atoll council and other relevant stakeholders. This training was conducted by Up Close Solutions as part of their contract to develop waste and resource management (WRM) plans for all islands of Laamu Atoll.

The objective of this assignment was to strengthen Waste and Resource Management in Laamu Atoll through improved planning and enhanced local capacity to execute and monitor WRM plans. By the conclusion of this workshop, participants are expected to obtain a comprehensive understanding of how to plan, implement, monitor, and report using the WRM system and plans developed under this assignment.

ENDhERI project held validation workshops for the Laamu Atoll protected area management plans. The workshops were conducted by Water Solutions Pvt Lrtd, the consultants for this work.

Four workshops were held in Laamu Hithadhoo, Maabaidhoo, Gan and Fonadhoo respectively for the islands’ and atolls’ environmentally protected areas, and was attended by stakeholders including the island council, women’s development committee, school, NGOS and utilities as well as officials from EPA and agriculture and tourism ministries.

The validation workshop is the last step before these plans are finalized and handed over to respective island councils that hold jurisdiction over these areas.

ENDhERI Project shared findings from the recent groundwater testing conducted in Laamu Atoll under the ENDhERI Project with relevant government departments and island councils. Information regarding site selection, testing process and parameters and key findings were presented at this meeting by the team from Epoch Associates who carried out this work.

Following the presentation, representatives from Health Protection Agency, Maldives Food and Drug Administration, island councils of Laamu, Utility Regulatory Authority and relevant departments at the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy shared their views on the findings and discussed on improving similar studies in the future and related challenges.

A two-day workshop on Laamu Atoll Waste and Resource Management Planning was held in Laamu Kadhdhoo. The workshop was conducted by Up Close Solutions who have been contracted by ENDhERI to formulate island and atoll level waste management plans for Laamu.

The workshop covered the present state of waste and resource management in Laamu, overview of existing challenges and opportunities, and reviewed the relevant policies and regulatory framework. Participants also brainstormed on identifying critical areas for improvement, and shared successful waste management initiatives from the atoll.

A training workshop on sustainable fisheries management was held in Laamu Kadhdhoo targeting the atoll’s tuna fishermen. The program was conducted by Maldives Resilient Reefs and covered topics such as Maldive marine ecosystem and links, world fishery and evolution of fishing in Maldives, with a focus on Laamu Atoll, and types of fisheries management.

The session also covered environment friendly technologies for bait handling and on board fish handling, data collection methods.

Task Manager for ENDhERI project at UNEP, Ms. Kavita Sharma met with a number of project stakeholders and beneficiaries during her visit to Laamu atoll to attend the fourth meeting of the steering committee. This included meeting with the island council of Laamu Atoll Hithadhoo and a tour of the island’s mangrove area and Waste Management Centre.

Ms. Sharma also met with Maldives Resilient Reefs, and visited MNU Gan campus to meet with ENDhERI scholarship recipients enrolled in Advanced Certificate of Environment Management. She also visited the small grant project location in Fonadhoo.

ENDhERI Project held the fourth meeting of the project’s steering committee. The meeting was held in Laamu atoll for the first time. At the meeting, committee members were presented with up-to-date progress information on all project components and discussion were held on addressing challenges and tactics to improve project implementation in the future.

Senior Conservation Officer at MCCEE, Lisama Sabry chaired this meeting. Task Manager for ENDhERI at UNEP, Ms. Kavita Sharma also attended the meeting in person.

ENDhERI organized a workshop for the recipients of the first round of the small grants program to share their experiences.

At the workshop, ENDhERI presented an introduction of the second round of the small grants that would be opened this year. Grant recipients from Gan, Maavah, Fonadhoo and Maamendhoo who had successfully completed their projects also presented on their achievements and lessons learnt during the process.

ENDhERI Project awarded scholarship certificates to 12 students of Laamu atoll enrolled in the Advanced Certificate of Environmental Management course at the Maldives National University’s Gan Campus.

Deputy Minister Hassaan Mohamed presented the awards to the recipients at a ceremony held at MNU’s Laamu Gan Campus. Atoll Council President of Laamu Atoll, Ismail Ali and members of the MNU leadership also attended this ceremony.

The scholarships cover full tuition, stipends and study material costs, and the newly designed certificate program is intended as a pathway to the environmental management bachelor’s degree at MNU.

Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy and Maldives National University signed an agreement under the ENDhERI project to provide scholarships to 15 students from Laamu Atoll enrolled in the Advanced Certificate in Environmental Management Course.

Mohamed Zahir, Director General at the Ministry, and Adam Khalid, Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Science and Technology signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.

ENDhERI Project has opened the second round of small grants for environmental conservation programs in Laamu Atoll. This round of grants is focused on Environment Protection and Management; Environment Research and Monitoring; Sustainable Diversification in Agriculture and Farming and Sustainable Fishing Practices.

Priority would be given to NGOs operating at national and island level and Women’s Development Committees. Deadline for submission of concept note and other required documents is 13 March 2024.

ENDhERI project announced request for proposals for student grants, focusing on providing funding for Maldivian students to conduct post-graduate research.

Maldivians studying locally and abroad are eligible for this grant, which would provide up to MVR 100,000 each to 14 students towards research in a number of preset focal areas relating to natural capital accounting. Research topic should be approved by the students’ respective universities and concept note and other relevant documents should be submitted to ENDhERI project by 15th April 2024.

Water sampling was carried out in four islands of Laamu Atoll by Epoch Associate Pvt Ltd in order to establish a baseline on the quality of groundwater in islands with the highest farming activity in the atoll.

More than 20 tests were performed on the samples taken from various locations of Isdhoo, Kalaidhoo, Gan and Dhanbidhoo, including testing for the presence of agro-chemicals. Training was also provided for the island council staff in these islands to independently conduct similar tests in the future.

Training sessions on sustainable fisheries were started in Laamu Atoll Fonadhoo, under the consultancy with Maldives Resilient Reefs. Initial sessions were held for Island Coucils, WDCs and students.

The sessions covered topics such as trends in fisheries practices over time, importance of fisheries management, current status of fisheries at the global, regional and local levels and the importance of maintaining fisheries statistics. Sessions targeting tuna and reef fishermen of Laamu atoll would also be held under this program.

Awareness sessions on sustainable agriculture were started in Laamu Atoll by project consultant Riyan Pvt Limited. Sessions targeting island councils, women’s development committees, students and farmers have been held in Isdhoo, with additional sessions planned for Dhanbidhoo, Fonadhoo and Gan. The sessions contained information effects of chemical pesticides used in agriculture, Good Agricultural Practices, agribusiness skills and tactics, and collection of agricultural statistics.

Under the ENDhERI Project, Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy signed an agreement with Epoch Associates Pvt Ltd, awarding the contract for Ground Water Quality Assessment for Laamu Atoll Isdhoo, Kalaidhoo, Gan and Dhanbidhoo.

The four islands were selected as they were identified as the most highly impacted agricultural islands in the atoll. Under this contract up to ten water samples from each island would be assessed and georeferenced maps would be developed for future reference. Training on sampling protocols for agrochemicals would also be provided to ENDhERI PMU and PIU staff, and island council staff from the four islands.

Under the ENDhERI Project, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology signed an agreement with Up Close Solutions Pet Ltd, awarding the contract for Waste and Resource Management Planning in Laamu Atoll.

Components of this consultancy include review of management plans of all inhabited islands of Laamu for compliance with laws and regulations and policies and priorities of the government. This would include consultations with relevant stakeholders including government agencies, community groups, women’s groups, civil society and general public. A Laamu Atoll waste and resource management plan would also be developed under this consultancy and capacity building training would be conducted for island and atoll councils on implementation and monitoring of waste and resource management plans.

Under the ENDhERI Project, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology signed an agreement with Maldives Resilient Reefs, awarding the contract for Awareness and Training on Sustainable Agricultural Practices at Laamu Atoll.

The goals of this contract include technical improvement of onboard fish handling methods, improving the management of bait fisheries, improving the quality of traditional processed fish and introducing new technology that enables improved catch through sustainable measures.

Under the ENDhERI Project, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology signed an agreement with Riyan Private Limited, awarding the contract for Awareness and Training on Sustainable Agricultural Practices at Laamu Atoll.

The objectives of this contract are to demonstrate and conduct awareness and trainings on alternative agricultural practices and methods to the Laamu communities with the goal of reducing groundwater abstraction, phasing out pesticide use and reducing organic pollution of groundwater. All components of this contract are expected to be completed within three months from the date of signing.

ENDhERI project held an introductory workshop on Marine Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services for secondary school teachers. Two sessions of this one-day workshop was held and was participated by close to 200 teachers from all islands of the Maldives.

The workshop was conducted jointly by experts from the University of New South Wales, Rekam Nusantara Foundation and Maldives National University. During the workshop participants were given an introduction to the types of marine ecosystems and how to measure them, as well as practical activities of describing ecosystems by type and health. Threats to such systems and how to conserve and manage these areas were also covered.

This workshop is part of the consultancy assigned to UNSW by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology under the ENDhERI project to develop Natural Capital Accounting in the Maldives.

ENDhERI Project officially introduced the development of Natural Capital Accounting in the Maldives.

At the function held for this purpose at SHE Building , the consultants assigned for this task, University of New South Wales (UNSW) presented a summary of the work done so far in developing NCA in the Maldives and outlined future deliverables to be completed within 2024.

Under this initiative, three natural capital accounts would be developed for the specific resources of mangroves, seagrass and coral reefs in Laamu Atoll. Initial scoping surveys were conducted in March 2023 for mangroves and seagrass, and detailed surveys on seagrass extent and conditions were conducted in August 2023 in islands of Laamu. Similar surveys focusing on coral reefs are planned for 2024 under this consultancy.

The function was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Maldives National University, UNSW, Laamu Atoll Council, Maldives Bureau of Statistics and other organisations and agencies working with ENDhERI project.

ENDhERI project awarded certificates to participants who had successfully completed the training program on the National Coral Reef Monitoring Framework.
At a ceremony held at the Laamu Atoll Council building, Senior Executive Director at the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Abdulla Shareef handed over the certificates to the seven recipients from various islands of Laamu atoll.

The ceremony marked the end of three days of practical training and four days of dive lessons conducted in the previous month by Maldives Marine Research Institute (MMRI) under the ENDhERI project, in affiliation with Blue Marine Foundation, Maldives Resilient Reefs, PADI and Reveries Scuba Zone.

Senior Scientific Officer at MMRI, Dr. Ahmed Riyaz Jauharee also spoke at the ceremony, noting the importance of building such skillsets within the island communities.

8 environmental conservation enthusiasts from Laamu atoll took their first dive underwater as part of their Open Water dive training. The diving sessions are one component of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Framework (NCRMF) training program that was being conducted by ENDhERI project, and facilitated by the Blue Marine Foundation in partnership with Maldives Resilient Reefs, PADI, and Reveries Scuba Zone.

The dive sessions took place over four days and was followed by three days of practical training sessions for the NCRMF.

ENDhERI Project held the third meeting of the project’s steering committee. At the meeting, committee members were presented with up-to-date progress information on all project components and discussion were held on addressing challenges and tactics to improve project implementation in the future.

Senior Conservation Officer at MECCT, Lisama Sabry chaired this meeting, which was also attended by the new Task Manager for ENDhERI Project at United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Kavita Sharma.

Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology signed an agreement awarding the development of Management Plans for the six environmentally protected areas of Laamu Atoll to Water Solutions Pvt Ltd.

ENDhERI project is funding this contract, the scope of which includes extensive stakeholder consultations, development of resource usage maps, zonation maps, a 10-year action plan, and drafting concept designs including 3-D rendering. All the deliverables are expected to be completed within 10 months.

Senior officials from MECCT and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and council members from atoll and island councils of Laamu attended the signing ceremony held for this event in Laamu Fonadhoo.

ENDhERI project conducted a workshop to validate the ecologically significant areas identified in Laamu atoll.

Councils from ten islands of Laamu participated in this workshop, where discussions were held to verify the previously identified hotspots, propose new areas for inclusion in this list and agreeing on priority areas to conduct ecological baseline.

At this workshop Environmental Protection Agency also presented key data from the agency relating to biodiversity in Laamu, and ENDhERI project presented outcomes of the previous discussions held with the island councils to gather data.

ENDhERI project has concluded the theory segment of the training program on the National Coral Reef Monitoring Framework for participants from Laamu atoll.

12 participants from seven islands of Laamu participated in the three-day online workshop that was conducted by experts from Maldives Marine Research Institute. This will be followed up with practical sessions conducted by the Blue Marine Foundation later this year.

The program aims to establish at least one coral reef surveyor in each island of Laamu, capable of collecting and providing data for the NCRMF.

The survey team from University of New South Wales working in Laamu atoll under ENDhERI project’s natural capital development consultancy, met with atoll and island councils of Laamu.

At the meeting, team leader Dr. Jordan Gacutan provided an overview of natural capital accounting and the increasing role NCA plays in development and policy planning, and shared key insights from the three days of data collection carried out in four islands.

The team from University of New South Wales (UNSW) visited Laamu Atoll to carry out the scoping surveys required under the Natural Capital Development consultancy for the ENDhERI Project. Four islands of Laamu were surveyed to gather data for the creation of natural capital accounts on mangroves and seagrass. Environmental scientists from Maldives National University (MNU) also took part in this survey as part of MNU's partnership in the consultancy.

ENDhERI project held the inception workshop for the Natural Capital Accounting development consultancy that is being carried out by the University of New South Wales.

The two-day workshop was participated by representatives from stakeholder organizations including Tourism, Finance and Economic ministries, Auditor General’s Office, Maldives Marine Research Institute, Maldives Bureau of Statistics and the Laamu Atoll Council. Industry bodies and non-governmental organizations including Maldives Association for Tourism Industry (MATI) and Maldives Association for Construction Industry (MACI), as well the Blue Marine Foundation also took part in this workshop.

The team from the University of New South Wales undertaking the Natural Capital Development consultancy for ENDhERI Project met with Auditor General Hussain Niyazy.

During the meeting discussions were held on the importance of natural capital, the role of auditors in natural capital related accounting, and latest developments in embedding natural capital within financial disclosures.

A public lecture on Natural Capital Accounting was held by University of New South Wales to give a primer on the concept of natural capital accounting, established conventions and standards of NC, and how the data generated could be used to inform relevant developmental policies.

This lecture is part of the natural capital development consultancy that is being undertaken by UNSW for the ENDhERI project. The lecture was attended by secondary school students, environmental enthusiasts and officials from relevant government agencies.

ENDhERI Project has published the Baseline Report on Agricultural Practices in Laamu Atoll outlining the current status of agricultural activities in Laamu towards sustainable agriculture training, demonstrations and small grants.

Link:
http://www.environment.gov.mv/v2/en/download/18902

ENDhERI Project has awarded grants to the civil societies, Women’s Development Committees and school managements from Laamu who applied for the project’s small grants scheme. MVR 1.8 million will be disbursed in this round of grants.

Minister of State for Environment, Climate Change and Technology Dr. Abdulla Naseer, Laamu Atoll Council President Ismail Ali, and council presidents from all islands of Laamu attended this ceremony which was in Laamu Fonadhoo.

ENDhERI Project and University of New South Wales (UNSW) held the first stakeholders meeting regarding the consultancy for developing Natural Capital Accounting in the Maldives. During the meeting a brief introduction of the planned NCA development was provided by UNSW, and discussions were held on the composition of the Technical Committee that would advise and guide the work that would be carried out under this consultancy.

Minister of State for Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Dr. Abdulla Naseer and representatives from stakeholder agencies including Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources, Environmental Protection Agency and Maldives National University as well as representatives from industry bodies such as Maldives Association of Tourism Industry participated in this meeting.

ENDhERI Project, in association with Maldives Marine Research Institute conducted a training of trainers (ToT) workshop to train citizen scientists in Laamu atoll to gather data for the National Coral Reef Monitoring Framework.

This three-day on-line training program was attended by members of the Blue Marine Foundation and ENDhERI staff, where they were provided information on the National Coral Reef Monitoring Protocols, including monitoring techniques, data entry and data management, and coral recruitment.

Later this year these trainers from Blue Marine Foundation and ENDhERI project will conduct sessions in Laamu with the target of establishing at least one coral surveyor in each island of the atoll.

ENDhERI project held a working session in Laamu Fonadhoo for small grants applicants whose proposals were shortlisted. The purpose of this session was to further refine and improve the proposals to fit within the criteria set out in the Small Grants application guidelines. 7 representatives from various Women's Development Committees, non-governmental organisations and schools attended this meeting.

Under the ENDhERI Project, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology signed a consultancy agreement on 17th November 2022 with the University of New South Wales, Sydney for the development of Natural Capital Accounting, including initiating pilot testing of the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA) in Laamu Atoll.

Deliverables under this two-year agreement include establishment and operation of a National Natural Capital Accounting Technical Committee and Expert Group on NCA,GIS map of Laamu atoll showing all Protected Areas, environmentally sensitive areas, known biodiversity hotspots, and key areas sustaining marine production and selected NC accounts of Laamu atoll linked to the national accounts maintained and reported on by Maldives Bureau of Statistics.

ENDhERI project held a workshop for the Island Councils of Laamu on the project’s Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF). ESMF serves to identify and mitigate potential environmental and societal impacts arising from project activities.
During the workshop participants were thoroughly informed on the Grievance Redress Mechanisms available to them through the project’s ESMF, which sets out the process to address concerns from the communities with transparent decision-making and with involvement of all relevant stakeholders.
Information was also provided on the various tools that are utilised alongside the ESMF such as the Stakeholder Engagement Plan, Gender Action Plan and the Communication and Outreach Plan. 18 participants from the atoll's island councils and council secretariats participated in this workshop.

Max Zieren, Task Manager for the ENDhERI project from the United Nations Environment Program visited islands of Laamu to meet with project stakeholders and observe the environmental concerns in the atoll that are being addressed by project components.

Minister of State for Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Dr. Abdullah Naseer, and the ENDhERI project team accompanied Mr. Zieren during this visit. Separate meetings were held with the Laamu Atoll Council, Island Councils of Hithadhoo and Maavah, and the marine research and conservation team from Six Senses Laamu resort to discuss ongoing and planned activities.
The trip also included a visit to the protected mangrove area of Maabaidhoo.

ENDhERI Project held its second steering committee meeting. The meeting was chaired by Minister of State for Environment, Climate Change and Technology Dr. Abdulla Naseer. Max Zieren, Task Manager from GEF assigned to ENDhERI project also attended this meeting in person.

During the meeting, the project team presented to the committee on the work progress and activities planned for the future. Mr. Zieren also elaborated on the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms established by the project to ensure that project goals are met.

ENDhERI project hosted a contingent of island council and Women's Development Committee members from Laamu Atoll on a tour of mangroves, wetlands and nature parks in Addu Atoll and Fuvahmulah.
The second such tour arranged by the project, these tours were arranged to facilitate the local government of Laamu to gain exposure and experience on established best practices of protected area management in the Maldives.
This trip also included meetings with city councils of both Addu and Fuvahmulah and presentations from officials involved in the establishment and operation of these Nature Parks.
This round of the tour included guided stops at Addu Nature Park in Hithadhoo, Mathikilhi Eco Garden in Hulhumeedhoo, and Dhadimagi, Bandaara and Kodakilhi wetlands in Fuvahmulah

A workshop was held to inform Women’s Development Committees, school management officials and civil societies from Laamu atoll about the small grants initiative that would be soon launched by ENDhERI project.

Over 40 participants from islands of Laamu attended this workshop where information was provided on the intention and scope of small grants, small grant application process, and proposal evaluation criteria.

Grants amounting to a total of over MVR 2.2 million would be distributed to support and implement the projects on specific focal areas which include protected area management, citizen science activities, agricultural diversification and sustainable fisheries.

Environmental awareness sessions for students from grade 6 to 9 were completed for rest of the schools in Laamu.

Sessions were conducted in Isdhoo, Kalaidhoo, Dhanbidhoo, Maabaidhoo, Mundoo, Maamendhoo, Hithadhoo, Kunahandhoo and Maavah.

A total of 340 students participated in these sessions, which covered the importance of environmental conservation, protected areas in the atoll, and issues of water and waste management.

Environmental awareness sessions were held for students from grade 6 to 9 of three schools in Laamu Gan and Fonadhoo.

Sessions were conducted in Ihaddhoo School, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani school and Laamu Atoll Education Center.

Over 90 students participated in these sessions, which covered the importance of environmental conservation, protected areas in the atoll, and issues of water and waste management.

A multi-stakeholder workshop on ecosystem conservation and management was held in Laamu to following the recent designation of six environmentally protected areas of Laamu Atoll.

More than 50 participants from all islands of Laamu, representing the island councils, women’s development committees, civil societies, school management, law enforcement agencies and utility providers took part in this one day workshop, where facilitators from MECCT and EPA conducted sessions such as ecosystem services and benefits to the local communities, relevant legal and institutional frameworks, enforcement, capacity needs and financing.

At the workshop’s conclusion, participants discussed and presented their vision, plans and challenges for Laamu atoll protected areas management.

ENDhERI project continued project sensitization in Laamu atoll, visiting the islands of Fonadhoo, Maamendhoo, Hithadhoo, Maavah, Kunahandhoo and Dhanbidhoo to inform the councils, women’s development committees and local communities about project objectives, scope and ongoing and upcoming activities.

ENDhERI project conducted the first round of project sensitization in Laamu atoll, visiting the islands of Gan, Isdhoo, Kalaidhoo, Maabaidhoo and Mundoo to inform the councils, women’s development committees and local communities about project objectives, scope and ongoing and upcoming activities.

ENDhERI project hosted a contingent of island and atoll council members from Laamu Atoll on a tour of mangroves, wetlands and nature parks in Addu Atoll and Fuahmulah.

This tour was arranged to facilitate the local government of Laamu to gain exposure and experience on established best practices of protected area management in the Maldives, and included meetings with Addu Atoll and Fuahmulah city councils as well as presentation from park staff and officials from EPA involved in the establishment of these Nature Parks.

This round of the tour targeted councils whose jurisdiction include the recently designated environmentally protected areas in Laamu and similar experience tours have been scheduled for later this year for rest of the island councils.

A Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices survey on environmental awareness among the island communities of Laamu atoll was conducted. The survey covered 10 out of the 11 inhabited islands in the atoll, and interviewed over 1000 respondents. Information was collected on media consumption habits, level of knowledge on environmental affairs, attitudes concerning environmental conservation efforts in the country and respondent’s own practices that impact the environment.

Analysis of the data collected would be used in guiding the development of the project’s communication plan, and to set baseline benchmarks to evaluate project performance. A similar end line KAP survey would be administered at the project’s close.

Enhancing National Development through Environmentally Resilient Islands (ENDhERI) project held its inception meeting. The meeting was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Environment, Climate Change and Technology Dr. Abdulla Naseer.

ENDhERI project aims to assist the government of the Maldives in its implementation of new environmental policies and transition towards national adoption of Green Growth atoll development that will sustain marine Natural Capital and strengthen the resilience and recovery of reef ecosystems.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Naseer spoke on the importance of adopting Natural Capital accounting and the current challenges faced in the Maldives with the lack of technical expertise to establish NC accounting systems. ENDhERI project plans to alleviate these difficulties by conducting both capacity building and public awareness programs.

Zonation and mapping of proposed protected areas in Laamu atoll were conducted with surveyors from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). During this trip, zonation and ground truth mapping were conducted for the Kulhi in Hithadhoo, Koaru in Maabaidhoo, turtle nesting beach, seagrass, mangroves and vegetation in Gaadhoo, and Boda Fendagu in Gan, and further surveying was conducted on areas of Fushi Kandu and Fushi Island with Vadinolhu Kandu Olhi.

This survey would produce geographically referenced maps that includes key data for all the seven sites.

The unit comprises a Project Coordinator and a Project Administrative Assistant who are permanently based in Laamu atoll.

The first meeting of the ENDhERI project’s steering committee was held. The meeting was chaired by the Minister of State for Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Dr. Abdulla Naseer. In his opening remarks Dr. Naseer noted that projects such as this required close cooperation and participation of a large number of agencies, and highlighted the importance of discussions and deliberations that was made possible through the committee.

At the meeting ENDhERI project’s objectives and main components were shared with the committee members, and the annual work plan and budget were approved.

Meetings to obtain Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and gather information on the resource usage at the proposed protected areas in Laamu atoll were conducted in the islands of Laamu atoll Hithadhoo, Maabaidhoo and Gan. Discussions were held with the island councils, Women’s Development Committees, utilities, government institutions and NGOS.

Teams from ENDhERI and the EPA also visited L. Maavah to demarcate mangrove boundary and conduct stakeholder consultation regarding restoration and management of Maavah mangrove.