Maldives Science Society » enviroment

The Maldives Science Society holds a marine biology presentation

Science Maldives — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:23:51 +0000

Anne-Marie Kitchen-Wheeler, Research Scientist

The Maldives Science Society, in association with Aqua Dreams Imaging group, has held a marine biology presentation at Hiriha School. The presentation was held at 8 pm on 14 March 2010 and was attended by students from Hiriya School as well as members from some local NGO’s.

The presentation was given by the UK research scientist Anne Marie Kitchen Wheeler and was largely a slide show on manta rays interspersed with video clips and explanatory commentaries. The presentation touched upon the anatomy, habitat, place in the ecosystem and behavioral aspects of mantas as well as some of the ways in which mantas are threatened and how they can be protected. One important highlight of the presentation was the explanation on how mantas evolved from sharks millions of years ago. She also said that it is highly likely that the Maldives has the largest manta ray population in the world.

Hiryaa School Students

At the end of the presentation Anne Marie took questions from the audience.

“Postcards from the Frontline” campaign

Science Maldives — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:34:18 +0000

The Maldives has an average height of 1.5 meters which makes it the flattest country on earth. This is significant when it comes to global warming because this makes the Maldives one of the most vulnerable places to climate change. The UN Intergovernmental Panel in Climate Change predictions suggests that the Maldives will be facing a catastrophe of immense proportions by the end of the century if global warming continues at the rate it is currently increasing.

To highlight this plight, the Maldives Photographers Association and the Maldives Science Society are organising a campaign called Postcards from the Frontline.

Postcards from the Frontline is an initiative by the Maldivian photographers to inform world leaders of our undeserved plight, and appeal to them to save us from disappearing from the earth’s surface.

Postcards from the Frontline aims to give a voice to Maldivians. Depicting more than the usual ‘wish you were here’ cliches (a sandy beach, a turquoise sea, an idle hammock) these photos will show the world honest images of life in these low lying islands. These 350 photographic appeals of real experiences, real challenges and real stories of life in the Maldives will then be crafted as post-cards and sent to 350 world leaders who will decide the fate of the Maldives at the crucial UN Climate Change Conference Copenehagen 2009 (COP15) this December.

Call for Entries

We request all members of the public to submit photos for the cause. Entries do not need to fit into a conventional photographic category. The point is to accommodate a wide variety of images that portray the reality of life in the Maldives, as perceived and decided by you, the photographer. This is a chance to move beyond the usual, the typical, the constructed. It is a chance to show a global audience the authenticity in your Maldives the way you see it.

Application forms can be downloaded here.

Screening of “Home” documentry.

Science Maldives — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:43:36 +0000

Home is a documentry about the state of the Earth, its climate and how we as the dominant species have long-term repercussions on its future.The film is almost entirely composed of aerial shots of various places on Earth. It shows the diversity of life on Earth and how humanity is threatening the ecological balance of the planet.

Location: Near Lonuziyarai kolhu
Time: 2130 to 2300 on 5th and 6th of September

Full documentary at Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU