Lack of a waste management system in the Maldives is a great health hazard to the local Maldives islanders. Observation shows that the most common mosquito breeding sites are among the trash, this results in dangerous diseases such as Dengue Fever and Chikungunya.
While the state and private sector are divided over the responsibility of garbage collection and clean up, most local islands have never had a full scale island trash clean up. As a result plastic and other non-biodegradable waste can be seen everywhere including the jungle which is the most isolated part of the island.
In a society which used biodegradable materials in much or all of the aspects of their livelihood in the past, plastic is the advent of modern progress. Local islanders do not distinguish the difference of impact which non-biodegradable trash has on their environment and health which maybe why they are often apathetic to it.
This is why we need to create the necessary awareness, build motivation and inspire the local community to work on creative solutions to these problems. In a globalized world, information, resources and other means are well in our reach, and it is for us to utilize them and built a more sustainable community in harmony with our environment.
Action now!
The Beginning
Hello, everyone! My name is Jessica Jimenez and I am a third year student at the University of California at Santa Cruz. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California but have fallen in love with living in Santa Cruz. In my spare time I enjoy running, hiking, being outdoors and following Major League Baseball. I have traveled to Latin America and Japan before but have never been given an opportunity to work aboard on a great project like this before and am very excited about it!
I first heard about this project from Sydney while on a recreation trip she was leading. Her passion and excitement about it drew me in and I knew instantly that I wanted to apply to be a part of the team. While I did not know very much about the Maldives, I knew this project would give me the chance to be completely submerged in another culture while helping combat a disease that unfortunately still claims the lives of many Maldivian people. I am very honored to have been chosen as part of the team along with my fellow UCSC teammates.
From this project I hope to form relationships with members of the community while we work together to help control the mosquito population and fight Dengue Fever. Education is one of the world’s most powerful tools for community growth and that is exactly what we will be doing while working on this project. Cultural immersion is another one of the things I am looking forward to and I hope to take in the culture of the Maldives by learning some Dhivehi, trying many new foods, and overall learning about the great people who live there.
Dragonfly Migration Through The Maldives
Matt Walker
Editor, Earth News
Every year, millions of dragonflies fly thousands of kilometres across the sea from southern India to Africa.
So says a biologist in the Maldives, who claims to have discovered the longest migration of any insect.
If confirmed, the mass exodus would be the first known insect migration across open ocean water.
It would also dwarf the famous trip taken each year by Monarch butterflies, which fly just half the distance across the Americas.
Mosquito Lady Returns to the Maldives!
Ready to leave Turkey for the Maldives tomorrow. I will be meeting our newest Intern, Syd Miller. Syd is a Ford Scholar and student at U.C Santa Cruz in California. It will be an exciting seven weeks surveying 12 local islands and working with three Resorts to control mosquitoes.