Some three years ago, during one of his daily visits into the mangroves of Neykurendhoo island in northern Maldives, 45-year-old Ibrahim Marif began noticing something strange — the mangroves were dying. But among these, the country is most anxious about saving one particular species that the IUCN lists as being of ‘least concern’, the Bruguiera cylindrica. Before fibre boats came into existence, the sturdy wood of the Bruguiera cylindrica was used to build boats in the northern islands. Before fibre boats came into existence, the sturdy wood of the Bruguiera cylindrica was used to build boats in the Maldives. So the seriousness with which the mangroves have been looked into by the Maldives is exemplary.” In the quest to save the mangroves of the Maldives, there may be lessons for India as well.

Source: Indian Express February 13, 2022 03:52 UTC