A local NGO has urged the Haa Dhaal Atoll Kulhudhuffushi island council to declare what remains of the island's mangroves a protected area.
Nearly 30 percent of the island's mangroves have been reclaimed to accommodate a new domestic airport despite a major public outcry.
However, neither the government nor the council have not made any moves to protect the remaining white clay mangroves in the island.
The NGO 'Belief' which operates in the island in a letter to the council said the failure to protect the rest of the mangroves had resulted in more damages.
Sand and debris from the reclaimed area were seeping into the surviving mangroves, the letter read.
