Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology Aminath Shauna said the Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Office is exemplary in managing the protected areas. She made the remark after touring the protected sites being managed by the office.
Speaking to PSM News, Minister Shauna said the Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Office has been able to carry out its responsibilities efficiently despite having a limited number of employees and that she has not received any complaints from local councils and resorts regarding the conservation efforts undertaken by the office. She highlighted the importance of maintaining the beauty of the natural environment and vowed to expand preservation efforts to more areas by providing more resources, funding, and increasing public awareness.
Areas protected as biosphere reserves can be leased and the payment goes into the Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Conservation Fund. The fund has been used to build two-room apartments on each island of Baa Atoll, directly benefiting local councils. The fund collects millions in payments every year but Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve stated that it still lacks the necessary resources. The office has conveyed the challenges it faces to Minister Shauna during her visit, such as the lack of a proper office building and storage space.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) declared Baa Atoll as a Biosphere Reserve in 2011, stating that the area meets the requirements to be declared as a Biosphere Reserve. The agency reconfirmed the designation after receiving the relevant reports and updated information in September 2021. As such, reports were submitted of the ecological surveys conducted on the coral reefs, islands, and sandbanks, and the organisation officially re-designated Baa Atoll as a Biosphere Reserve for 10 more years after approving the results of the work being done to preserve the region.
The discovery of some endangered marine life was one of the reasons for the need to protect Baa Atoll. The atoll also has one of the largest manta ray aggregation sites in the world, which is why the region attracts many tourists even during the low season.