Banyans and saplings: 100 years old, replaced by inches tall

Those guidelines are no longer available from its website.

Photos showed officials posing with watering cans beside knee-high cuttings, staff holding umbrellas overhead in the rain, inviting social media comparisons to a viral meme.

The planting event followed President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's decision, two weeks earlier, to cut down the banyan trees after taking a “vote” in a show of hands during a town hall meeting with Villimalé residents. 

"It is a big scam," said Humaidha Abdul Gafoor from the environment NGO Save Maldives. "We are talking about a natural heritage. You're talking about getting rid of a tree that's over 100 years old, and planting a small cutting here and another cutting there.

"You cannot replace it. You could plant 800,000 small trees but you cannot get the heritage value of that big tree. I think the people in government think people are stupid. It's an insult to the intelligence of people trying to present it as a solution."

Muizzu called the vote at the Villimalé meeting after several residents complained about the banyan tree. The tree’s deep roots were encroaching into neighbouring households and making it hard for families, they said.

“To be honest, that banyan tree is a concern for a lot of people on this island. They [the families living near the tree] are really struggling with this. If we go to those houses for any reason, they would first show their bathroom. I’ll be blunt, it really is full of roots. How do they live? They cannot do a lot of basic things," Aminath Mohamed, a woman who's lived in Villimalé for more than 30 years, told Muizzu. 

"Like a lot of other people have said here, there’s no [other life] more important than humans. Protect trees, but take that tree somewhere else and plant it. That’s not a problem, it will not die. We are even willing to take our water cans to water it, for their rights. I believe you are a gem, a gem to the Maldives. So I hope you will do this for us."

One of the banyan trees is located near the water sports beach in Villimalé on the edge of a small park. The other is inside a vacant government plot. 

"People have begged a lot of presidents about this. Every time we are told that it will be looked into. The city council and even the previous one said they will cut it. But we don't know when we will reach that stage," another man said.

Muizzu responded by asking for a show of hands to see how many people supported cutting down the tree.

"I am also aware of how this went on. I went to these houses when I was mayor and during the campaign, too. The attorney general said there is no legal issue. Environment minister says that we can find a solution within the environmental regulations. Why don't we hear what the people want? Raise your hand if you want that tree to be removed," Muizzu asked.

After the vote, Muizzu declared: "So it's settled almost unanimously. So with the grace of God, that will happen."

Video of the "vote" and Muizzu's decision to take down the ancient tree triggered a swift backlash.

One of the trees is protected, according to a ministry official and Save Maldives, though it does not appear on the Environment Regulatory Authority's most recent published list of protected trees.

"The Villimale Banyan Tree stood big and strong even when Sultan Shamsuddeen was held there after being brought back from Fuvahmulah. When Villingili was a jail, this tree was where political prisoners were allowed to rest after forced labor. It is a heritage of a hundred years. Do not cut it down," former president Mohamed Nasheed wrote on X.

Two days later, Muizzu responded to criticism during a town hall meeting with Maafannu residents.

"Cutting down trees is not our policy. But if it is making essential needs difficult, if it makes human livelihood difficult, cutting down trees after following a legal process is not being against having trees. If you take a tree, you must plant 10 or 12 trees. If it's one tree, at least three must be planted. In exchange for the two banyan trees that will be taken from Villimalé, I have told the environment minister to plant at least 300 trees. They are starting that now – 300 trees in the place of two trees," Muizzu said.

"If human livelihood is affected, removing a tree is a necessity," he added.

Five days later, the environment ministry and senior government officials held an event in Villimalé to plant 500 cuttings on the side of roads. It was part of the administration's ambitious Five Million Tree initiative to plant five million trees within five years.

But the trees planted during the event do not meet the ministry’s own guidelines for the Five Million Tree initiative, which states: “Trees that must be planted under the programme in inland roads of islands must be over four feet tall.”

Some of the cuttings planted in Villimalé were only a few inches tall.

The guideline is no longer available from the ministry's website. It is unclear why it was scrubbed. The Maldives Independent obtained a copy before it was removed.

The ministry announced that 827,329 trees have been planted since the programme was launched on World Environment Day in June 2024.

State-owned companies like the State Electricity Company and the Housing Development Corporation have been posting updates on the number of trees they plant towards that goal.

"I can say that this administration is – anyone who looks at this objectively will agree with this – this administration is the most environmentally-conscious administration," Muizzu said at the town hall. "For one thing, five million trees is a pledge I made. Planting five million trees within five years is not something that has ever been done before. Now we have reached over 800,000, close to five million trees. Over the next three years, we will catch up and reach five million.

"This is a program to spread greenery, because the most important thing I believe in is sustainable development, greenery is important for this country."

Maeed Zahir from environmental NGO EcoCare was skeptical. While he agreed with the concept of the initiative, Maeed said "it does not make sense" to plant small trees while cutting down ones that were a century old.

"As someone who likes to see conservation happen in the Maldives, the whole concept of the five million trees initiative for the purpose of biodiversity restoration and ecosystem recovery is very much needed, I am all for it. I would like to see conservation being a strong policy focus of the government. But unfortunately, we are seeing this done for name's sake, as a greenwashing tactic, we do not see a serious effort," he told the Maldives Independent.

"It does not make sense to plant trees and at the same time cut down age-old trees. Cutting down a tree and planting 200 small trees in its place is not the best way. Sometimes the best thing is to find a way to landscape and maintain settlements alongside trees and coexist. There's not much effort for that."