Government working to preserve remains of Kulhudhuffushi mangrove

The Ministry of Environment has accepted a global non-profit’s offer of support for the preservation of the mangrove in Kulhudhuffushi island.

The Environmental Protection Agency, the state’s oversight body for such matters, confirmed this in a tweet last week, saying that Environment Minister Hassan Rasheed Hussain has accepted the offer.

The offer to support preservation of the mangrove was made by the Mangrove Action Project, which has offices in multiple countries and describes itself as a global forum for outreach and action.

Upto nine hectares off the mangrove, and six hectares of the island has been cleared to build an airport.

An Environmental Impact Assessment for the project warned of long-term and irreversible destruction; the project continued despite heavy protest.

The island’s council said in an interview in February that the airport has not been used since the national airline's first test flight in September of last year.