A green sea turtle, which is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN and CITES, was seen coming ashore Maafaru, one of the inhabited islands in the Maldives that is popularly known as a nesting beach. The problem is, the turtle came ashore the newly built runway of the airport completed in 2018, which is conveniently located on what used to be the turtle’s nesting site.
Right in the smack of the 2,200m (7,200ft) airplane runway, a photo was taken of the turtle laying three eggs which sparked a debate about the environmental damage and habitat loss due to infrastructure development in the Maldives.
Similar to other species of sea turtles, green sea turtles migrate for great distances between their feeding grounds and nesting areas. They also, more often than not, return to the same beach where they were born in to lay their own hundreds of eggs, sometimes even traveling for more than a year, just to reach that small patch of sand they call home.
Despite violent reactions from the public towards the viral photo, it was reported that the turtle and her three babies were in overall good health and was guided back to the ocean by the locals of the island.
Being quite popular as a hatching ground for over hundreds of turtles, Maldives’ local news outlet, The Edition released an article quoting local officials whom have reported that the amount of turtles visiting and hatching in the island has not dropped since the construction and completion of the airstrip in 2018.
“Despite the construction of the runway, the frequency with which turtles visit the island for nesting purposes has not decreased,” a source from Maafaru Island Council reportedly claimed.
While the international airport is yet to be completed, the existing tarmac will allow the tiny island to simultaneously accommodate six jets, while a hotel and resort will be built at the same time. It was originally designed to facilitate the landing of the A320 Airbus and Boeing 737 planes.
The previous president of Maldives, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom valued the airport at $60 million, which was funded by the United Arab Emirates for further development.
What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!
True Activist / Report a typo
