By Nora Fakim.
The news is from Mauritius.
The image is from the same source.
When I was a child, I would see a lot of seashells on the beaches.
The stretches of sand along the Indian Ocean have been empty since I returned to the archipelago.
The collection of hundreds of different seashells that my father amassed as a teenager would be difficult to duplicate now.
Anesh Mungur is a climate change activist and he says he has never seen seashells.
It's sad that the shells are disappearing.
I don't think many people know how important seashells are.
>
Anesh Mungur is a person.
Climate change activist.
The island is suffering from the effects of climate change and more needs to be done to protect it before it's too late.
The gold ring cowrie is a gift of love or luck, and has always played an important role in Mauritian culture.
The Monetaria moneta was used as a form of currency in parts of Africa thousands of years ago, and is still used today.
The number of seashells on the island has decreased by 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266
The image is from the same source.
The image caption is.
People in Mauritius are not used to finding shells.
He blames pollution from wastewater and boats on climate change.
One of the most vulnerable countries when it comes to climate change is Mauritius.
It is affected by rising sea levels, droughts and storms.
Aalia Aboobaker has the image.
The image caption is.
The collection of shells that the father amassed was impressive.
The acidification of the ocean is caused by an increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which causes seashells to become thinner.
"This causes them to have problems in making shells."
It all has a negative effect on the coral reefs and the surrounding environment.
"If you don't have molluscs, you don't have the predator, and then you have other organisms which start to proliferation, and that causes an imbalance of the ecosystems in the tropical island and around the world."
Birds and small fish use seashells for shelter and protection, and many use parts of seashells to build their nest.
Anesh, who is part of the Fridays For Future movement, says more needs to be done to stop environmental disasters like the oil spill that hit the island in 2020.
The image is from the same source.
The image caption is.
The delicate environment around Mauritius is under threat.
The worst ecological disaster in the history of the island was caused by the leak of fuel oil from the Japanese-ownedMV Wakashio.
The island's marine environment was badly affected by what happened.
It damaged the coral reef and killed many fish.
The teenager wants to create awareness around the world.
I don't think many people know how important seashells are.
The decline of seashells is blamed on shell collectors, who often harvest the animals still inside them.
The image is from the same source.
The image caption is.
People could buy large shells on the beach in the 70s.
Two laws have been brought in over the last 15 years to stop people from buying shells and souvenirs for tourists.
Only 10 seashells can now be legally picked up from the beaches where low and high tide marks can be seen.
Don't take them to the beach.
>
Vassen Kauppaymuthoo.
Oceanographer.
It is difficult to stop people from popping pretty souvenirs into their bags, even though shell picking is restricted and it is illegal to export them now.
"Don't pick them up from the beach," Mr Kauppaymuthoo says.
The harder it becomes for winds, waves and water currents to move the shoreline, the more shells there are.
His advice for people who are on a tropical holiday?
"Look at the shells, take photos of them, and also know that you are saving them too."
The caption is media.
People are fighting an oil spill.
