In many tropical coastal communities with large ocean areas women and girls do not swim, snorkel or engage with the ocean as much as men and boys do – two-thirds of women worldwide cannot swim. Reported reasons include fear, societal stigmas, aesthetic ideals, lack of role models, equipment, or access to safe spaces, and gender norms.
Through our collaborative experiences, working with Affiliate Projects in over 20 countries, we have learnt that to sustainably protect the biodiversity that mobulid rays depend upon, coastal communities must develop and lead conservation initiatives that work for them. Tropical coastal countries have large ocean areas and are often heavily reliant on the ocean for food, livelihoods, and coastal protection. They are often biodiversity hotspots, and therefore their populations play a disproportionately large role in ocean conservation on a global scale. All over the world, indigenous knowledge prioritises nature protection. But in some communities, certain groups of people, including women and girls, do not access the ocean recreationally as much as others. We think this could negatively impact whole communities, as women are shown to be effective conservation leaders but do not always get a seat at the table, or a ‘swim in the sea.’
Research with Maldivian school students we work with reveals that girls are 50% more likely than boys to have never snorkelled, and four times more likely to feel unconfident swimming in the sea. The Maldives is 99% ocean; most people live metres from the sea. Learning to swim is imperative not only for safety but for enabling access to the dominant environment and core recreation and economic space (50% of working Maldivians are employed in fisheries and tourism sectors).
“As Maldivians, we all should know how to swim, but that is not the reality. Most of us are scared to go to the sea and do not possess the basic skills of swimming… As a teacher, I would say that my student’s learning is very much limited because they don’t know how to swim.” - Hamda Ibrahim, Maldives’ secondary school marine science teacher.
Additionally, young people in the Maldives are often unaware that environmental careers exist or that they could pursue them.
“We are coastal people living in a large ocean state, and our very survival is dependent on a healthy marine ecosystem. I believe that actually showing people what they have in their backyard is key to a future with environmentally conscious individuals who are passionate about protecting the ocean.”- Maeesha Mohamed, MMCP Board Director.
