Chiara Fumagalli has turned her dream into a job: The 41-year-old works in the Maldives as a marine biologist in the Baa Atoll for the resorts of the Coco Collection and spends most of her working hours at or diving with a compressed air cylinder in the sea. For Just-Wanderlust.com I went shark diving and looking for manta rays with the “turtle whisperer”. An interview with a real thoroughbred marine conservationist.
Milan-born Chiara Fumagalli advocates for turtles and manta rays in her everyday work. She has launched several important conservation projects and is one of the most important activists when it comes to animal protection and environmental protection in the island state. I have the “turtle whisperer” for Just-Wanderlust.com in her office on the island Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu met. The luxury island in Baa Atoll is one of the oldest and most beautiful resort islands in the Maldives. Many holidaymakers come here to spend a relaxing beach holiday, swim and pamper themselves in the excellent restaurants.
But many travelers also want to get to know the marine world of the Maldives, snorkeling, diving and, above all, the marine animals such as manta rays, whale sharks, turtles and the like Maldives sharks discover. Chiara Fumagalli supports people, leads dives and gives guests important background information about nature and Wildlife. At the end of their stay, travelers come home with new knowledge and will hopefully also get involved in marine conservation - true to the motto “You protect what you love”.
Chiara no longer works in the Maldives. She has since returned to Europe. However, the interview has not lost its relevance.
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They said: Many marine scientists live in big cities far away from the coast. When and how did you find your way from Milano to the Maldives and especially to the Coco Collection?
Chiara Fumagalli: Growing up in a big and crowded city like Milan has made me dream of a tropical paradise since I was a child - and I'm certainly not the only one! During the Summer My deep fascination with sea creatures began at the sea and I decided early on to study marine biology. In 2001 - shortly after graduating - I had the chance to work in the Maldives and I stayed at the Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu for two months. It was love at first sight! I swore I would come back here, and ten years later I actually came back!
Why did you choose Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu?
Chiara Fumagalli: Of all the beautiful islands of the Maldives Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu has convinced me with its isolated location, its luxurious appearance and the wild vegetation - a unique combination and a breathtaking view. The fact that green sea turtles often visit the island for oviposition is definitely another plus!
Turtles are the most beautiful creatures in the world!
Chiara Fumagalli
What made you a marine biologist? What does the underwater world mean to you?
Chiara Fumagalli: I am from Nature from curious and always driven to discover new things and places. The sea surface always looked to me like a thin barrier that I had to pass to gain access to another world. And this is the underwater world for me: a very different and fascinating world, filled with fascinating creatures with which life in the countryside is strongly connected.
You have told me, turtles are the most beautiful creatures in the world. What makes her so fascinating?
Chiara Fumagalli: That's a long list! Just consider that they have lived on this planet for millions of years, despite their very low survival rate - only one juvenile in 1.000 reaches adulthood. And they are capable of long-distance migrations across all oceans to reach their breeding and feeding grounds without getting lost. They overcome countless dangers.
The loggerhead sea turtle, one of the most common species in the Maldives, is currently listed as “Critically Endangered” on the IUCN Red List. This means that the animals are similar to many Shark species in the wild are on the verge of extinction. And above all, this is the fault of man: exploitation for trade, by-catch in fisheries, boat collisions and marine pollution take their toll.
You are the founder of the Coco Palm Turtle Conservation Project. How does it work and what are the progress of the project?
Chiara Fumagalli: At Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu we have various projects related to sea turtles and all of them are interconnected. In April 2013, I began the Sea Turtle ID Project, which to date has counted approximately 130 sea turtles, each coded and named, that were found in the area surrounding our resort. In total there were an incredible 660 recorded turtle sightings! Everyone at Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu – marine biologists, guests and staff – participated in identifying the turtles by taking pictures of each sea turtle while diving and snorkeling. Every encounter is registered in our database.
The main reason for the success of this project is the participation of all guests and employees! 20% of all turtle sightings were made by them! There are numerous sightings of guests such as the sea turtle Margo, who lives on the house reef of Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu and which we marine biologists have not yet seen ourselves. Our turtle database is managed by the national Turtlewatch program of the Maldives in cooperation with the research center in Malé. The aim is to understand the size and structure of the sea turtle population in the Maldives.
At Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu we are also very fortunate to have Green Sea Turtles nesting on our beaches. Our nest protection program requires everyone on the island to actively participate in the search for new nests - especially a task for our security team, who are responsible for issuing “nesting site alerts” whenever they see turtles. See tracks or a new nesting site at night. All nests are fenced and relocated if necessary so that all important data can be collected and registered in the Turtlewatch database. In 2015, we observed 20 green sea turtles nesting on Dhuni Kolhu - the highest number we have ever had with us. Hopefully we will break this record in 2016!
You said that you ask interns a special question at the job interview: What is it and why is that so important?
Chiara Fumagalli: The marine biology internship at the Coco Collection is tough, and that's no secret! I am always looking for very passionate people who also have the physical strength to spend most of their days under water and who are ready to jump in any situation at any time. The specific question is what they - the future interns - would do if you received a call from the security team in the middle of the night. With such a "Turtle Nesting Alert", the only qualifying answer is, "I wake up and run right away!"
Her second great love are the mantas. Tell us, how do you collect data about the animals and how do you try to obtain them?
Chiara Fumagalli: We also have a Manta ID project on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu and on all of our snorkeling and diving trips we collect ID images to contribute to the understanding of this species population. All our data is shared with the Manta Trust, studying manta rays in the Maldives since 2005. Dhuni Kolhu we have proudly been the top one resort for newly identified manta rays throughout the Maldives now in 2013 and 2014 we are waiting to know if we were getting still number one in 2015!
How can you help guests at the resort work?
Chiara Fumagalli: As mentioned above, guests can assist us very well by taking useful ID images of sea turtles and mantas. They can also respond quickly if they observe nesting sea turtle nesting near their bungalow. For example, some time ago, we had a regular guest couple whose beach villa had nested a sea turtle twice within a week. They woke up from the noise and rushed to the front desk at 4 clock to announce nesting.
Guests can also use our Protection project Support by purchasing the colorful turtle plush toys for USD 28.00: Everyone benefits because the proceeds are invested in the development of the Turtle Rescue Center. At check-out they also have the option to arrange a donation of $10 per villa for the same cause.
You are the opinion leader and champion of several initiatives in the Maldives. What are they and why are they so important?
Chiara Fumagalli: There are so many environmental initiatives in the Maldives worth fighting for! I try to support these initiatives wherever I can. Above all, I try very hard to support the locals in education and, together with the other marine biologists in Baa Atoll, to create an understanding of marine biology and marine conservation in schools.
We also try to create exemplary behavior in the resorts and always practice the best practices for sustainable action. For example, we recently replaced plastic straws from our resort bars and restaurants with biodegradable straws. This was a clear signal to other resorts to do the same!
Would you consider the Maldives an environmentally friendly country? How will tourism and nature conservation develop over the next few years?
Chiara Fumagalli: This is a sensitive issue. And to be honest, I have to admit that I don't think the Maldives are an environmentally friendly country yet. Some initiatives have been launched over the past few years so we can see improvement, but in general it is far from enough. If I had the chance to make decisions and take action, I would immediately start a national and immediate ban on plastic bottles and bags. Tourists can play a key role in the preservation of the environment: nowadays it is associated with great economic value if they protect the environment in their holiday destination. This assumes that tourism projects are planned and implemented sensibly and sustainably. That would help a lot.
The interview with Chiara Fumagalli was conducted by Sascha Tegtmeyer on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu.
Have you ever been to the Maldives or did you find out from a marine biologist? Share your experiences in the comments.
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