President calls for global action on ocean protection on World Ocean Day

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has called for stronger ocean science, sustainable fisheries management, and greater international cooperation, marking World Ocean Day on June 8 with a message underscoring the ocean's central role in Maldivian life.

"For the Maldives, the future of the nation is inseparable from the future of the ocean," the President said, adding that the health of the people, the economy, and the environment depends on the health of the oceans.

The President outlined the government's approach to marine conservation, anchored in science, innovation, and community needs. He highlighted the country's pole-and-line fishery as a model of responsible ocean use, describing it as a selective, low-impact method that avoids destructive practices and protects the wider marine ecosystem.

President also identified climate change as an escalating threat to Maldivian waters, citing ocean warming, coral bleaching, shifts in fish distribution, and coastal erosion as pressing concerns. He said strengthening scientific understanding of the ocean has become a national priority, with the government expanding marine research and evidence-based decision-making, including studies on fisheries, endangered and protected species, and nationwide monitoring of marine ecosystem health.

On coral reefs, the President said protection efforts are central to the broader conservation agenda. Reefs protect the islands, support biodiversity, sustain livelihoods, and form an integral part of the Maldives' natural heritage, he said. The government is advancing reef health monitoring, centralised reef data management, and research into coral restoration and rehabilitation.

President reaffirmed the Maldives' commitment to international ocean governance, noting that as a Small Island Developing State, the country cannot secure the future of its oceans alone. He called on the international community to act with greater urgency and unity, and said the Maldives would continue to advocate for sustainable fisheries, stronger ocean science, and international cooperation that leaves no island and no community behind.

In a separate post on his official X account, the President described the ocean as a deeply personal connection for Maldivians and called on the global community to reaffirm collective action to protect shared ocean resources.