To mark World Environment Day, civil society organizations and members of the public gathered in Male’ for a protest titled "United for the Environment," calling for the protection of the Maldives' natural ecosystems.
Protesters carried placards inscribed with numerous slogans demanding environmental conservation. Key demands included an immediate end to the mass uprooting of trees and a stop to the "killing" of the environment.
As the world celebrates Environment Day, 33 non-governmental organizations issued a joint statement expressing grave concern over the systematic dismantling of the Maldives' environmental legal frameworks and the infliction of irreversible damage on natural resources.
The statement, co-signed by Transparency Maldives, Ecocare Maldives, and dozens of other organizations, asserted that the government’s ongoing impact on coral reefs, mangroves, and protected areas poses a dire threat to the nation’s future security and survival.
The organizations further highlighted that the erosion of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) independence, the authorization of destructive activities within protected zones, and moves to reopen shark fisheries constitute an "ecocide" driven by political interests.
The NGOs emphasized that as an archipelago, the Maldives cannot exist without its reefs and wetlands. They reminded authorities that every act of environmental degradation is an injustice against current and future generations, warning that the natural resources being lost today can never be recovered.
