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The Marine Research Centre (MRC) of the Maldive

Maldives Marine Science Symposium 2016

Rehendhi Award 2021 

oceanographic

The importance of ocean meadows

Overfishing, unsustainable tourism, climate change are destroying the marine life of the Maldives. Support Shaha in her cause to protect the coral reefs.

Shaha Hashim

the edition

Visit Maldives broadens campaign with CNN

Blue Marine Foundation

Tourism the cause of or solution to overfishing of reef fish in the maldives

Maldives adds Parrotfish to list of protected species

Devex

How corruption, tourism, environmental sustainability play out in paradise

Podcast: Restoring a healthy ocean in the Maldives

#FishForTomorrow garners support for conservation efforts

sun media group

#FishForTomorrow: Maldives Resilient Reefs Project launches new campaign

ILHA

BLUE Marine Foundation – progressively taking a stance in sustainable acts in the Maldives

ocean culture life

Shaha Hashim - Blue Marine Foundation

Mongabay logo

Ocean optimism: Study says we can restore marine health

the rising

We Can Still ‘Substantially Recover’ Marine Life But We Need To Hurry, Scientists Say

Fishermen sign up to first reef fishing code of conduct in the Maldives

Protecting the green that gives blue oceans life

Maldives Fish-pert Shaa Talks Grouper Fishing, Island Life and Conservation

Donate to Shaha - Project Manager for Saving the Coral Reefs

SDG 14 Life Below Water

## In short
Shaha is Project Manager for BLUE’s Maldives project. She works to protect coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds to increase biodiversity and providing the Maldives with greater resilience from the effects of climate change. 

**Connected to the water**
I have always felt a deep connection to the water, so when I graduated from school, I got a scuba diving license. I took every chance I could get to be in the water, involving myself in voluntary work related to the ocean, which lead me to work with conservation of the marine life surrounding the Maldives.

**No more Maldives**
People of my country are entirely dependent on the protection of the marine and coastal environment, yet less than 1 % of our waters are protected. Overfishing, unsustainable tourism, climate change and coastal development are degrading our marine ecosystem. If we don’t act now the Maldives, they will soon be gone.

**Protecting coral reefs**
I work to increase marine protected areas in the Maldives so that our islands can remain in the future. Through research we monitor our fishing breeding grounds, coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds. And together with local stakeholders, such as hotels, we promote sustainable tourism and fisheries. But the most critical work that I do is educating the community; when they are knowledgeable, they can change their behavior for the better. 

## Achievements and highlights
- Encouraged more than a quarter of the resorts in the Maldives to stop removing seagrasses around their resort islands and protect more than 830,000 m2 of them.
- Developed a sustainable reef fisheries model for Six Senses Laamu, a luxury resort in Laamu Atoll, which incentivizes local fishermen to fish sustainably on coral reefs. BLUE is now rolling this out across to other resorts. 
- Secured a commitment for five marine and coastal protected areas from the local government in an atoll in the south called Laamu Atoll.
- Shaha and BLUE’s Maldives project has collected data and conducted research on coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds to streamline their conservation efforts.

## My organization
BLUE is filling a niche in the NGO world, enabling marine conservation to happen fast and effectively. What differentiates BLUE is that we are well connected and determined; we seize opportunities as they arise and get things done. We forge new partnerships and challenge the status quo.

BLUE works using a combination of top-down intervention to improve governance of our seas and bottom-up project delivery to help local communities who are at the front line of ocean conservation.

Our key strategic interventions are as follows:

- Securing marine protected areas to ensure the protection of at least 30% of the ocean by 2030.
- Developing models of sustainable fishing proving that low-impact fishing benefits marine life, local fishers and communities.
- Restoring marine habitats to revive and protect vulnerable and threatened species and to sequester carbon.
- Tackling unsustainable fishing by highlighting poor practice and developing solutions.
- Connecting people with the sea and enhancing ocean understanding across generations.

**Our mission**
BLUE aims to restore the ocean to health by addressing overfishing, one of the world’s biggest environmental problems.

Our vision is a healthy ocean forever, for everyone. We are dedicated to creating marine reserves, restoring vital habitats and establishing models of sustainable fishing.

BLUE’s mission is to see at least 30% of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70% managed in a responsible way.

**The crisis**
Overfishing represents a major food security issue and has devastating consequences for the fragile biodiversity of our planet.
Our oceans are in crisis. Around 90 % of commercial fish stocks are fully or over-exploited and 90 % of large, predatory fish are gone. Marine life is under threat from climate change, acidification, pollution, invasive species and plastic. But arguably the greatest threat of all is from overfishing because oceans stripped of all their life will have even less resilience to the other threats. It is the complex web of marine life in the oceans that enables them to absorb nearly half the world’s carbon dioxide and produce half our oxygen. Overfishing, therefore, threatens the future of humanity.

**Our impact**
2010 
- In 2010, BLUE, with support from the Bertarelli Foundation brokered a deal to enable the creation of what was then the largest marine protected area (MPA) in the world around Chagos in the Indian Ocean.

2012
- In 2012, BLUE partnered with the government of Belize and the Bertarelli Foundation to protect the Turneffe Atoll in Belize, an area rich in biodiversity and CO2 absorbing mangroves.

2015
- In 2015, BLUE and the Great British Oceans coalition secured a government manifesto commitment to create a “Blue Belt” around all 14 UK overseas territories, hailed as “the greatest conservation commitment by any government ever”.
- In 2015, the Great British Oceans coalition, of which BLUE is an active part, secured a UK government commitment to create the world’s largest marine reserve around Pitcairn in the Pacific.
- BLUE launched Reserve Seafood – an innovative label to celebrate the success of sustainable fishing in Lyme Bay and help fishers earn more from their catch.
- BLUE’s research on bass resulted in EU-wide measures to protect the stock.

2016
- In 2016, BLUE secured the creation of a no-take zone in 52.6 % of Ascension Island’s waters.

2017
- In 2017, BLUE, as part of the Great British Oceans coalition, secured an even stronger manifesto commitment from the UK Government ahead of the June 2017 election to protect over four million square kilometres of ocean around the UK overseas territories.
- In the summer of 2017, broodstock oysters in BLUE’s Solent Oyster Restoration Project spawned, releasing millions of larvae into the Solent.

2018
- BLUE spearheaded a social media campaign to encourage the public to tweet and email their MPs, resulting in 285 MPs from eight political parties signing up to the Blue Belt Charter by the end of 2018.
- The UK Government announced a target of 30 % of ocean protected by 2030, aligning with BLUE’s long-term strategy.
- Azerbaijan declared the first MPA in the Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water on the planet. The new MPA will seek to protect six significant marine species on the brink of extinction.

2019
- BLUE published its ground-breaking four-year Potting Study, commissioned by Defra, which evidences sustainable potting levels in Lyme Bay as a model for crab and lobster management UK-wide.
- Following BLUE’s #StopElectricFishing campaign, undertaken in collaboration with Bloom Association, the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries voted to ban electric pulse fishing in EU waters.
- With support from BLUE, 100 % of the waters around Ascension Island were designated a marine reserve, creating the largest fully protected marine reserve in the Atlantic, an area nearly the size of France.

## Projects
Blue Marine Foundation’s mission is to see at least 30 % of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70  % managed in a responsible way. We aim to achieve this by: 

1. Securing marine protected areas
2. Developing models of sustainable fishing
3. Restoring marine habitats
4. Tackling unsustainable fishing  
5. Connecting people with the sea

Creating the first marine protected area on Laamu Atoll would help BLUE to achieve its mission of seeing 30 % of the world’s oceans under effective protection. The marine protected area will be a no-take zone surrounded by a buffer zone in which only sustainable reef fishing will be allowed which would support BLUE’s vision to see the remaining 70 % responsibly managed. 


## Publications

**In the news**

[Ocean optimism: Study says we can restore marine health](https://news.mongabay.com/2020/04/ocean-optimism-study-says-we-can-restore-marine-health/), Mongabay, 2020

[We Can Still ‘Substantially Recover’ Marine Life But We Need To Hurry, Scientists Say](https://therising.co/2020/04/12/recover-marine-life-optimistic-study/), The Rising, 2020

[#FishForTomorrow: Maldives Resilient Reefs Project launches new campaign](https://en.sun.mv/60928), Sun Online, 2020

[Fishermen sign up to first reef fishing code of conduct in the Maldives](https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/2020/02/14/reef-fishermen-sign-up-to-code-of-conduct-in-maldivian-first/), Blue Marine Foundation, 2020

[The Maldives project team win a prize at the first Maldives Marine Science Symposium](https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/2016/11/17/win-prize-first-marine-science-symposium/), Blue Marine Foundation, 2017

[Maldives Fish-pert Shaa Talks Grouper Fishing, Island Life and Conservation](https://edition.mv/travel/5930), The Edition, 2018


## Previous donors
- Six Senses Laamu
- Disney Conservation Fund


In short
Shaha is Project Manager for BLUE’s Maldives project. She works to protect coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds to increase biodiversity and providing the Maldives with greater resilience from the effects of climate change.

Connected to the water
I have always felt a deep connection to the water, so when I graduated from school, I got a scuba diving license. I took every chance I could get to be in the water, involving myself in voluntary work related to the ocean, which lead me to work with conservation of the marine life surrounding the Maldives.

No more Maldives
People of my country are entirely dependent on the protection of the marine and coastal environment, yet less than 1 % of our waters are protected. Overfishing, unsustainable tourism, climate change and coastal development are degrading our marine ecosystem. If we don’t act now the Maldives, they will soon be gone.

Protecting coral reefs
I work to increase marine protected areas in the Maldives so that our islands can remain in the future. Through research we monitor our fishing breeding grounds, coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds. And together with local stakeholders, such as hotels, we promote sustainable tourism and fisheries. But the most critical work that I do is educating the community; when they are knowledgeable, they can change their behavior for the better.

Achievements and highlights
Encouraged more than a quarter of the resorts in the Maldives to stop removing seagrasses around their resort islands and protect more than 830,000 m2 of them.
Developed a sustainable reef fisheries model for Six Senses Laamu, a luxury resort in Laamu Atoll, which incentivizes local fishermen to fish sustainably on coral reefs. BLUE is now rolling this out across to other resorts.
Secured a commitment for five marine and coastal protected areas from the local government in an atoll in the south called Laamu Atoll.
Shaha and BLUE’s Maldives project has collected data and conducted research on coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds to streamline their conservation efforts.

My organization
BLUE is filling a niche in the NGO world, enabling marine conservation to happen fast and effectively. What differentiates BLUE is that we are well connected and determined; we seize opportunities as they arise and get things done. We forge new partnerships and challenge the status quo.

BLUE works using a combination of top-down intervention to improve governance of our seas and bottom-up project delivery to help local communities who are at the front line of ocean conservation.

Our key strategic interventions are as follows:

Securing marine protected areas to ensure the protection of at least 30% of the ocean by 2030.
Developing models of sustainable fishing proving that low-impact fishing benefits marine life, local fishers and communities.
Restoring marine habitats to revive and protect vulnerable and threatened species and to sequester carbon.
Tackling unsustainable fishing by highlighting poor practice and developing solutions.
Connecting people with the sea and enhancing ocean understanding across generations.

Our mission
BLUE aims to restore the ocean to health by addressing overfishing, one of the world’s biggest environmental problems.

Our vision is a healthy ocean forever, for everyone. We are dedicated to creating marine reserves, restoring vital habitats and establishing models of sustainable fishing.

BLUE’s mission is to see at least 30% of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70% managed in a responsible way.

The crisis
Overfishing represents a major food security issue and has devastating consequences for the fragile biodiversity of our planet.
Our oceans are in crisis. Around 90 % of commercial fish stocks are fully or over-exploited and 90 % of large, predatory fish are gone. Marine life is under threat from climate change, acidification, pollution, invasive species and plastic. But arguably the greatest threat of all is from overfishing because oceans stripped of all their life will have even less resilience to the other threats. It is the complex web of marine life in the oceans that enables them to absorb nearly half the world’s carbon dioxide and produce half our oxygen. Overfishing, therefore, threatens the future of humanity.

Our impact
2010
In 2010, BLUE, with support from the Bertarelli Foundation brokered a deal to enable the creation of what was then the largest marine protected area (MPA) in the world around Chagos in the Indian Ocean.

2012
In 2012, BLUE partnered with the government of Belize and the Bertarelli Foundation to protect the Turneffe Atoll in Belize, an area rich in biodiversity and CO2 absorbing mangroves.

2015
In 2015, BLUE and the Great British Oceans coalition secured a government manifesto commitment to create a “Blue Belt” around all 14 UK overseas territories, hailed as “the greatest conservation commitment by any government ever”.
In 2015, the Great British Oceans coalition, of which BLUE is an active part, secured a UK government commitment to create the world’s largest marine reserve around Pitcairn in the Pacific.
BLUE launched Reserve Seafood – an innovative label to celebrate the success of sustainable fishing in Lyme Bay and help fishers earn more from their catch.
BLUE’s research on bass resulted in EU-wide measures to protect the stock.

2016
In 2016, BLUE secured the creation of a no-take zone in 52.6 % of Ascension Island’s waters.

2017
In 2017, BLUE, as part of the Great British Oceans coalition, secured an even stronger manifesto commitment from the UK Government ahead of the June 2017 election to protect over four million square kilometres of ocean around the UK overseas territories.
In the summer of 2017, broodstock oysters in BLUE’s Solent Oyster Restoration Project spawned, releasing millions of larvae into the Solent.

2018
BLUE spearheaded a social media campaign to encourage the public to tweet and email their MPs, resulting in 285 MPs from eight political parties signing up to the Blue Belt Charter by the end of 2018.
The UK Government announced a target of 30 % of ocean protected by 2030, aligning with BLUE’s long-term strategy.
Azerbaijan declared the first MPA in the Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water on the planet. The new MPA will seek to protect six significant marine species on the brink of extinction.

2019
BLUE published its ground-breaking four-year Potting Study, commissioned by Defra, which evidences sustainable potting levels in Lyme Bay as a model for crab and lobster management UK-wide.
Following BLUE’s #StopElectricFishing campaign, undertaken in collaboration with Bloom Association, the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries voted to ban electric pulse fishing in EU waters.
With support from BLUE, 100 % of the waters around Ascension Island were designated a marine reserve, creating the largest fully protected marine reserve in the Atlantic, an area nearly the size of France.

Projects
Blue Marine Foundation’s mission is to see at least 30 % of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70  % managed in a responsible way. We aim to achieve this by:

Securing marine protected areas
Developing models of sustainable fishing
Restoring marine habitats
Tackling unsustainable fishing
Connecting people with the sea

Creating the first marine protected area on Laamu Atoll would help BLUE to achieve its mission of seeing 30 % of the world’s oceans under effective protection. The marine protected area will be a no-take zone surrounded by a buffer zone in which only sustainable reef fishing will be allowed which would support BLUE’s vision to see the remaining 70 % responsibly managed.

Publications

In the news

Ocean optimism: Study says we can restore marine health, Mongabay, 2020

We Can Still ‘Substantially Recover’ Marine Life But We Need To Hurry, Scientists Say, The Rising, 2020

#FishForTomorrow: Maldives Resilient Reefs Project launches new campaign, Sun Online, 2020

Fishermen sign up to first reef fishing code of conduct in the Maldives, Blue Marine Foundation, 2020

The Maldives project team win a prize at the first Maldives Marine Science Symposium, Blue Marine Foundation, 2017

Maldives Fish-pert Shaa Talks Grouper Fishing, Island Life and Conservation, The Edition, 2018

Previous donors
Six Senses Laamu
Disney Conservation Fund


Overfishing, unsustainable tourism, climate change and coastal development are destroying the marine life of the Maldives. Shaha is protecting essential coral reefs before it’s too late. 

Field Project Manager & Marine Conservationist 

Donate now to save coral reefs

This is Shaha

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