Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has amended the regulations on interactions with protected animals, such as turtles and rays, during snorkelling activities. The revision constitutes the sixth amendment to the Protected Species Regulation.
The amended guidelines highlight the principles of conserving sea turtles and their habitats, aiming to sustain the natural environment of the creatures while minimising human disturbances. As such, the amendment mandates a minimum distance of six feet between individuals and turtles when snorkelling or swimming, with any actions that may disrupt their natural behaviour strictly prohibited.
The amendments outline procedures for addressing injured sea turtles or rays encountered at sea. The immediate transport to treatment centres is required for injured animals and any turtle or ray caught in a net must be carefully released without harm, with the net placed on dry land instead of being discarded at sea. While sea turtle treatment centres and veterinarians are limited in the Maldives, various resorts in the region are equipped to handle such situations, according to EPA.
Sea turtles are conserved under the Protected Species Regulation and Article 4 of the Environmental Protection and Conservation Act of the Maldives. Notably, the sale of sea turtle eggs was banned in 1996 and legal restrictions were imposed on 14 islands recognised as major turtle breeding grounds to prevent egg collection in 2006.
The amendments also extend protection to all species of rays in the Maldives since 2015, with the objective of enhancing marine biodiversity. EPA expresses concern about deliberate harm to rays despite protective measures.