NOO RAAJJE
TEAM
The Noo Raajje team is based in Maldives with international support from the Blue Prosperity Coalition and Waitt Institute. Our program is led by the Government of the Maldives, including the President's Office and the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, and in partnership with staff from the Maldives Marine Research Institute. Our program is collaborative and will work closely with local and international organizations, ocean stakeholders and the public to make a comprehensive plan for future ocean health
in the Maldives.
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PROGRAM
OVERSIGHT
Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources & Agriculture
Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology
Ministry of Economic Development
Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure
Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation
Maldives Marine Research Institute
NOO RAAJJE
LEADERSHIP
Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture, Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan
Secretary, Foreign Relations, President’s Office, Sabra Noordeen
Executive Director, Waitt Institute, Kathryn Mengerink JD PhD
BLUE PROSPERITY
PARTNERS
NOO RAAJJE
PROGRAM STAFF
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Fathimath Nistharan
Site Manager
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Fathimath "Nisthu" Nistharan is highly passionate about the marine environment with a keen interest in Protected Area Management and Marine Spatial Planning. Since 2014, she worked with coral reef mapping while working with the IUCN Maldives, in collaboration with the Government of Maldives, under Project REGENERATE, funded by the USAID. She worked as a lecturer at the Maldives National University for the Bachelor of Environment Management Programme and served as an exchange lecturer to the University of Milano-Bicocca in Milan, Italy under an Erasmus+ fellowship. She is well versed in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and is experienced in Maldivian Marine Spatial Planning.
Nisthu supported the Government of Maldives in establishing the Rasdhoo-Madivaru Protected Area, developed cartography for the Maldives as a Biosphere Reserve Plan, and coordinated between the various Government agencies to aggregate spatial data for the Maldives National GIS Database. She holds a Masters Degree in Environmental Management in Sustainable Development from Bond University, Australia and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) Degree in Computer Science & Software Engineering from Asia Pacific Institute for Information Technology, Malaysia (in affiliation with Staffordshire University, UK).
Moosa Zameer Hassan
Program Coodinator
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Previously having worked for the Maldives Civil Service, Moosa is well acquainted with public administration, strategic planning, tourism development, and environmental management.
Moosa holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning specializing in Tourism Planning from the International Islamic University Malaysia and a Bachelor of Science (Hon) degree in Environmental Science from the Bristol University of the West of England, UK.
He has wide interests in working with government agencies and local communities, planning for sustainable tourism, climate change, and biodiversity conservation, as well as environmental education and assessments.
Maeesha Mohamed
Science and Communications Liaison
Maeesha has a background in environmental management and marine conservation and has been working in the field since graduating from university in 2014. She previously interned with several conservation organizations including the Maldives Whale Shark Research Program and the IUCN Maldives.
Before joining the Noo Raajje Program, she also worked for The Manta Trust as the Assistant Project Manager for Thaa and Laamu Atolls, conducting research and community outreach and education for conservation of her favorite marine animals and their habitats – manta rays.
Maeesha has a major interest in coral reef research and has previously worked as the Liaison Officer and the Coral Component Coordinator for the Climate Change Adaptation Project, administered by the World Bank and implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Energy. There, she worked closely with the Maldives Marine Research Institute and other stakeholders to standardize the coral reef monitoring protocols for the National Coral Reef Monitoring Framework (NCRMF). During this time she was also responsible for developing policy briefs to help mainstream the NCRMF and the CoralDatabase.
Dr. Shaistha Mohamed
Stakeholder Engagement Strategist
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Shaistha is the Noo Raajje Program’s MSP Engagement Specialist. She is working to develop and execute a stakeholder engagement strategy for the Marine Spatial Plan and is supporting the team in preparing engagement and outreach materials. She has a keen interest in understanding ocean users’ needs and concerns and following a people-centered effort for maximising ecological, economic, and social benefits of long-term planning.
Shaistha has a background in social psychology, with a PhD in social influence, leadership and social change. She has worked as a social sustainability consultant in the Maldives since 2017 and has experience engaging with stakeholders, managing community grievances, and coordinating social compliance and management of various developmental projects across the country. She also developed a compendium of Marine Spatial Planning targets relevant to the Maldives for the Noo Raajje Program in 2021, which is guiding the work on the MSP principles, goals and objectives, and planning work.
Nashfa Nashidh
Assistant Ocean Use Survey Coordinator
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Nashfa works closely with the rest of the team on the Ocean Use Survey effort. Since graduating from University of Nottingham she worked for 2 years at Water Solutions Maldives, an environmental consultancy firm, where she conducted surveys for environmental reports. She spent another 2 years at Fenaka as an environmental consultant, mainly conducting environmental impact assessments for their powerhouse relocation projects. During the same period, she worked with the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure as a GIS and data analyst for the Maldives National Spatial Plan (2020-2040).
Nashfa holds a BSc in Environmental Science from University of Nottingham. She is passionate about spatial science and mapping, with a keen interest in data visualization.
Robin Ramdeen
Program Director
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Originally from the Caribbean, Robin serves as the Waitt Institute's Site Manager for Barbuda and Montserrat, as well as the Program Director for the Maldives. Her focus is on managing government relationships and encouraging the involvement of local partners to advance marine spatial planning and sustainable fisheries activities.
Prior to joining the Waitt Institute, Robin worked as an MPA management assistant for Sandy Island Oyster Bed MPA in Carriacou, Grenada. She also worked as a research assistant for Dr. Daniel Pauly and the Sea Around Us project where she played a lead role in documenting illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries catches in the Caribbean islands. Robin holds a master’s degree in Coastal and Marine Resource Management from the University of the West Indies in Barbados.
