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Olive Ridley Project and Amilla Maldives Resort Work collaboratively to Protect Turtles

To monitor and preserve native turtles, Amilla Maldives Resort and Residences has partnered with the Olive Ridley Project, a turtle conservation organization. The most recent research conducted by the resort indicates that three turtles nest on Amilla and nine different turtles frequently visit the island to eat. The most prevalent kind of turtle nests in the Maldives are those belonging to green turtles. However, nests of both Green Turtles and the less common Hawksbill Turtles have been seen in Amilla Maldives Resort. Large turtles can frequently be seen grazing or swimming slowly by as snorkelers pass by the wide house reef, but the nests are well guarded.

Zoe Cox, the marine biologist at Amilla, has been busy collecting the Olive Ridley Project information about turtle IDs and nesting data from Amilla ever since the project began operating in the Maldives in 2017. When she sees a turtle on Amilla’s house reef or nesting on the island, she makes “turtle IDs” by capturing pictures of each side of its face. Every turtle has a different design on the side of its face. The Olive Ridley Project needed a marine scientist headquartered in the Baa Atoll UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, so Amilla Resort chose to fill the gap by collaborating with them. The Baa Atoll is a well-known location for turtles to feed, play, and nest. Now the five-star resort may contribute to their research and aid in bringing their cause to the attention of its visitors.