Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, along with the Ministry of Tourism, has launched the Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECM) programme.
At the launching ceremony, candidates for the OECM were announced and Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom introduced the OECM logo, which represents the oceans and marine life, along with Maldivian coral reefs and flora and the livelihood and history of the country. The OECM concept is an alternative to traditional protected areas, in that it can include any geographically defined area that is achieving the long-term and effective conservation of biodiversity outside of protected areas.
At the ceremony, Minister Mausoom said the OECM will allow the tourism industry to protect geographical areas. He noted that investors look into how much businesses are involved in environmental conservation and, therefore, tourism businesses will benefit from participating in the programme, as having the OECM logo on tourism products will be a valuable marketing asset.
The environment ministry published the OECM guidelines and allowed tourism businesses to apply for the programme in April. The ministry has chosen three resorts as candidates for the programme, which are Hurawalhi Island Resort, Kuredu Island Resort and Spa, and Six Senses Laamu.
The ministry stated that resorts must submit their management plan, the size of the area to be protected, and the results of the ecological survey to be eligible for OECM. The ministry will designate an OECM area after evaluating the environmental conservation work being conducted by the resort.