Maldives Knowledge Exchange Expedition Sets Sail Today
Wednesday 7th of September 2022
Today, the ‘Maldives Knowledge Exchange Expedition’ is to commence with the aim of exploring the depths of the Indian Ocean. The expedition consists of international scientists from India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives along with fellow colleagues from the UK. As part of the expedition, the team would be collecting crucial data from deep within the ocean, in the hopes of better informing governments and scientific communities worldwide about combating climate change.
The expedition forms part of the bigger 5-week Maldives mission undertaken by joint partnership of the Government of Maldives and the UK marine research institute, Nekton. Scientists from the expedition will meet with their peers on the mission in a historic moment, marking an era of scientific collaboration between colleagues from the Indian Ocean and their UK counterparts.
During the expedition, the first-ever systemic discovery and documentation of ocean life in Maldives will be done from 1000 depths. As the Indian Ocean is warming up thrice faster than the Pacific, it is causing increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions in the region, posing threats to lives and livelihoods. It is by far, the least preserved ocean as well as the least known too. However, with half the world’s population banking on the shores of the Indian Ocean by 2050, conservation efforts need to be implemented swiftly.
Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture of Maldives, Dr. Hussein Rasheed Hassan stated “What happens to the Indian Ocean will affect half of the world’s population. The resilience, prosperity and sustainable governance of our shared ocean can only be and must be, established through far deeper scientific understanding and regional cooperation”.
The Mission will deploy 2 advanced human occupied submersibles accompanied by robotic and autonomous systems and 12+ research technologies. The mission is conducted with the support of 40 partners, 16 Maldivian and 24 International. New species discovered during the mission will be named by Maldivians and all data collected will be vested by the Government of Maldives.
