DUSIT'S SHARK FIN CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Dusit International's latest resort is yet to open but it has already set its sights on saving the local shark population. Located on the breathtaking Mudhdhoo Island, Northwest of Malé, Dusit Thani Maldives aims to achieve a total ban on shark fishing, export, and sale of priceless shark products.
Fuelled by an increasing demand from Asian markets and a growing hunger for shark-fin soup in China and Hong Kong, the number of sharks deliberately killed for their meat and fins continues to rise in the Maldives. This has resulted in a severe decline in the number of shark sightings in most atolls, including Baa Atoll.
One recent study estimated that fins from between 26 and 73 million sharks are traded globally each year, while reported world trade in fins has nearly tripled.
"We have sent out emails and letters to nearly 90 tourist resorts, 70 dive centres and approximately 300 travel agents in the Maldives, hoping to get their support for the campaign," Juergen Seidel from
Dusit International said. "If we continue to kill theses animals at the current rate, they will be extinct within just a few short decades."
The Coral Reef Alliance
Originally founded in 1994 to galvanize the dive community for conservation, The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) has grown from a small, grassroots alliance into the only international nonprofit organization that works exclusively to unite communities to protect our planet's coral reefs.
To help reef operators educate their staff and visitors about responsible marine management, they have compiled a number of handy guidelines for the following activities:
Fascinating facts about Australia's Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef off Queensland’s east coast is an international tourism icon. It is made up of about 2,900 unconnected coral reefs, stretching over 2,000 km from south of Papua New Guinea to Bundaberg. There are also about 900 islands within the Great Barrier Reef.
Considered the largest, most complex and diverse coral reef system in the world, the Great Barrier Reef is home to over 1,500 species of fish, 400 species of coral and many rare and endangered species. The area supports one of the largest dugong populations in the world and is an important breeding and feeding ground for whales and dolphins. Six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles can also be found there.
The Great Barrier Reef was inscribed as a World Heritage area in 1981 in recognition of its natural significance. It is the largest World Heritage area ever established. Under the World Heritage Convention, Australia has an international obligation to protect, conserve, present and transmit this magnificent area for all future generations.
Explore the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef here.