DEEP BLUE SEA

A new generation marine conservation is learning about one dive at a time

- VAHRUN TARAPOREWALA

In 2019, a green sea turtle travelled onto the tarmac of Maafaru airport in the Maldives and laid her eggs there. Like others in her species, she followed a process of natal homing, undertaking an epic migration across thousands of kilometres, guided by invisible lines of the Earth's magnetic field, sea currents, and pure instinct. The purpose of her heroic odyssey was simple - she wanted to lay her eggs on the island where she was born. In the past, this turtle might have been slaughtered for meat or her eggs harvested for sale; however, with new protection laws coupled with a greater awareness of conservation, her tragic tale had a happier end. Concerned locals ushered her safely back into the ocean and delivered her clutch of 96 eggs to the Marine Discovery Centre (MDC) at Four Season Resorts Maldives for further care.

Established in 2001, the MDC is a pioneering, on-island research facility with 13 full-time marine biologists who partner with interns, apprentices, the Maldivian Ministries of Environment and Energy, Fisheries and Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency to host a multitude of initiatives on marine conservation and sustainability to preserve the fragile beauty of its UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve home.