Custodians of the Ancient Island

cover photo by Saffu

Civilization in the Maldives started over two millennia ago: thousands of years of living, loving, breathing, and being on this scattered chain of islands. We are the surviving custodians of these ancient islands, well cared for by our ancestors. Lush greenery thick with coconut palms, sea hibiscus, beach gardenia, breadfruit trees, and ironwood. Mangrove lakes with interlinked roots snaking through the waters. The sea in blues of every hue with majestic kingdoms of coral life. The quintessence of natural beauty. Our ancestors respected our islands which gave us so much in return: food, water, shelter, and peace of mind — the islands nurtured us well.

The desire for “development” has now changed our island communities and our way of living. The natural resources we were blessed with have been largely depleted and degraded. With multiple recent bleaching events, it has become rare and exciting to stumble across a live coral reef when snorkeling. Island jungles are now replaced with concentrated city hotels. We crane our necks in high-rise buildings to get a glimpse of the coast. Reef fish stocks are slowly declining due to overfishing. We bit the hand that fed us, and we’re now dealing with the consequences. 

The push for environmental conservation has resulted in a variety of outcomes, such as passing an Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (Law no. 4/93); the designation of protected areas and natural reserves; tracking and monitoring of marine species populations; conducting Environmental Impact Assessments for “development” activities; and coral restoration. Previously, island communities had informal regulations and customary practices on how we sustainably use our natural resources. These practices varied greatly from island to island, given that the availability of natural resources and islands’ geography can be quite different.

R. Angolhitheemu is a small island in the North of Maldives. An island resident, Faiz, describes Angolhitheemu as a gaamathee rah: an island where the distance between the beachline and the ocean is very short. 

“Historically, we practiced pole-and-line fishing. Growing up, there were a couple of dhoani (Maldivian boat) doing pole-and-line fishing for frigate tuna. Now, there are small dinghies. These vessels don’t do commercial fishing. They only fish enough to feed their households and just sell the surpluses. Schools of Mushimas (bigeye scad) visit the lagoon in particular seasons. It was forbidden to use nets or live bait to catch them. It was believed that using live bait would drive the schools out. Though nets are now outlawed, even back then, we didn’t use nets for these schools that entered the lagoon. If we used a net, we’d catch the whole school altogether, which isn’t sustainable.” 

Faiz

“When gathering kanamadhu (sea almonds), there were specific days that were designated for this by the rashu office (island office). They’ll make an announcement stating, for example, next Saturday is kanamadhu collecting day. So, the residents can prepare themselves for that day. There was a quota for this collection: each household can collect two dabiyaa (tin) maximum.

A similar practice was used for collecting fann (palm fronds), with specific days allocated for collection. Only fallen palm fronds were permissible to be collected, and people were not allowed to pick them directly from the palms. “For dhandi (wood), only branches of the tree were cut rather than the whole tree. This was only allowed for household use rather than commercial — so that we can avoid overuse, as some people may take trees that do not belong to anyone. We also had to show the rashu office the dhandi we take for approval.” He also shared how there were species restrictions in place for this: trees that were common in the island — such as dhigga (sea hibiscus) — were allowed to be used, but not trees that were rare on the island. l

L. Gaadhoo is well-known for the highest recorded number of turtle nesting activity in the Maldives. Gaadhoo is surrounded by seagrass meadows, boasting a small mangrove on the island, fertile soils, and historic sites. The beachstrip at the south of Gaadhoo is a rare gem. It is the main turtle nesting site. This includes the endangered green sea turtle, and the critically endangered hawksbill turtle. Although it is now an uninhabited island, Gaadhoo was populated until 2016, when the island residents were relocated to Fonadhoo under a development policy from the Government. As a community, the locals had cared for their rich resources and were provided for by their natural surroundings. 

“Turtle eggs were a good source of income, and we used it with regulations. When we took eggs, we always made sure that we took only a portion of the eggs — never more than half of them,” according to a Gaadhoo resident. This practice was stopped when turtle egg harvesting was outlawed. The islanders also ensured that their beaches were well-maintained — the beaches were cleaned regularly and the vegetation was trimmed. This was done to encourage turtle nesting. The residents also played an important role in monitoring poaching of turtles, which was declared a protected species in 1995. They also carried out disciplinary actions against those caught in the act. 

Some of these traditions are still practiced and have become the basis for citizen conservation measures today. Pole-and-line fishing, a method used in Maldives for centuries, is still preferred by fishermen today. This practice is environmentally sustainable as it reduces the chance of bycatch through selective fishing and is incorporated with rich traditional knowledge. For instance, fishers allowed other boats to fish tuna from the same school by using a particular technique to throw bait when there were multiple fishing boats at the same site. Currently, tuna is the primary goods export of Maldives and is well-known for the pole-and-line fishery employed. Furthermore, fishing using nets is prohibited in the Maldives (except for bait fishing), as practiced by generations past. 

Historical accounts — through folklore, oral history, and written documentation — reflect the deep connection Maldivians shared with the natural environment. The traditional conservation methods used by our elders are a valuable insight into the respect we had towards our surroundings. These regulations contributed to ensuring that by sustainably using our resources, our ancestors left our lands in a pristine state for the next generations.

We must recultivate the relationship with our ancient islands and learn from our ancestors before us. It is our imperative to embed their valuable knowledge into modern environmental conservation methods today to restore and protect the rich biodiversity and ecosystems of our homeland.