M A L D I V E S
The Maldives are home to countless coral reefs. Throughout the sprawling islands, coral has the perfect environment to survive in - or so it seems. The Maldivian coral reefs are in danger due to rapid development and coral bleaching.
H I S T O R Y
From 1991 to 2009 the trash island named “Thilafushi” has existed in the Maldives. As mentioned in the basic facts section, this trash island poses a risk to the nearby coral reefs. At first, due to the lack of ocean environmental protection services in the Maldives during the 1990’s, there was no trash separation in the “pits” at Thilafushi. This unsafe practiced had been common for many years before this- which has damaged the coral in the Maldives for centuries.
~In 1998, a massive bleaching event in the Maldives occurred that wiped out â…” of the corals and has since permanently weakened the reefs. Almost all shallow water coral was completely wiped out. About 80% of corals wholly or partially bleached on the back reef, with around 45% ten meters deep on the reef slope, and 30- 40% twenty to thirty meters deep. Bleaching was also seen at 50 meters down. Some reefs had been 95% bleached/ dead. The corals that were most sensitive to this bleaching event were the soft corals and anemones. 30-50% of shallow water had coral in the Maldives before this bleaching- afterwards practically none of this coral had survived. Many massive corals are still under stress and partially bleached, making them more vulnerable today to getting bleached again.
~The mining of coral wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for its history. The reefs have been mined for decades now. Coral is hard to obtain, and thus was a relatively expensive material for building in the Maldives. Even if the coral was obtained, expensive imported items such as cement or limestone are required to hold the coral together when one is building with it. Since all the way back to the 1700’s, local communities in the Maldives have used timbers and coconut leaves for homes since they are abundant resources. As soon as British colonization began in the early 1900’s these materials were made more available, thus beginning the construction with coral (it was very rare to see coral structures before this time, but technically some were in assistance). Coral structures- despite now having more material- were still considered a luxury. Small communities of natives had built coral tomb stones, but now could build large mosques. Large chunks of coral were collected for some of these constructions, shown by the old mosques and monuments built around 100 years ago. The multitude of buildings that utilized coral also points to the fact that locals in the early 1900’s were not aware of the permanent environmental changes that mining coral can result in. In the 1970’s the fishing industry became mechanized resulting in island communities having more income. The increased wealth combined with the existing promotion that coral was a luxury caused many homeowners to construct using coral. Many locals also believed that having a home of coral meant good living and prestige. Coral mining rapidly expanded from the late 1970’s onward. Tourism booms in the 80’s drove coral demand up even higher. Finally the government imposed rules against coral mining (though, as mentioned in the basic fact columns these rules are not strictly enforced). By this time many shallow water reefs had been mined- thus causing coral death.
Current Corals
~The Maldives coral reefs are currently threatened by the government rapidly urbanizing and making risky mega-deals with foreign investors for coastal lands. The presidents “transformitive economic agenda” allows for environmentally damaging actions to be made if they are seen to have an economically beneficial outcome. For example, the government went through with a decision to build a shipping canal without listening to the EPA- and ended up blasting an islands reef (which is one of the most destructive ways to destroy coral). Coral has been in danger since facing this lack of
environmental acknowledgement with coastal development in the Maldives.
~Coral mining still occurs today in the Maldives. It is the highly destructive practice of mining coral out of the water, and then usually burning it to make it into limestone for cheap building materials.
~The strong El Nino in 2016 has led to major amounts of coral dying off- and weakened coral reefs from the bleaching event have been vigorously eroded by species of fish (such as parrot fish). 60% was the average coral bleached in different areas, with some having 90% of their coral bleached.
~A trash island named “Thilafushi” in the Maldives has quickly grown (a square meter a day) to 124 acres. The trash on the island includes things that are toxic, such as batteries, lead, and electronic devices. When these are put into the water toxic elements are mixed in with the current, which not only is a danger to the health of the workers who live on the trash island be can easily kill the many sensitive coral reefs that it is near. The dumping ceased in 2009, but the remaining trash still serves as an environmental threat.
-The governments focus on the tourism industry produces a lot of trash- which either by decaying and getting run-off or direct littering in the ocean kills shallow water coral reefs- so much that on average each tourist creates 3.5-4kg of waste daily in the Maldives.
Specific Impacts
~The loss of coral due to mining has caused little recovery of the coral reefs mined, resulting in a significant loss of biodiversity- which many communities rely on for food sources.
~Fishing, the Maldives second main industry, would be at risk. There are over 22,000 people who have full time fishing jobs in the Maldives. Coral reefs are essential- housing the vast majority of fish species that people rely on.
It would significantly hurt the fishing industry if they were to destroy these delicate ecosystems they rely on.
~Tourism is the main industry in the Maldives. It generates 28% of the countries total GDP. The Maldives have been world famous for their coral reefs, and if they were to die the tourism industry would suffer. There are many Eco-lodges in the Maldives which have already lost business due to coral bleaching- tourists go to these Eco-lodges to just dive and see coral. In fact, a Maldivian travel organization had to legally state on their website that “Phenomena like coral bleaching are out of the control of the Maldivian government.” These lodges have been losing their most business through trip review websites such as TripAdvisor- where upset guests go to write poor reviews about the state of the coral reefs near the lodges they stayed at. The worst part is is that these lodges are losing business for something that is completely out of their control; they did not cause coral bleaching nor can they fix it.
~Coral reefs have always been the main protector of many of the islands in the Maldives. If they died off, several important (both historically and industrially) island are extremely susceptible to erosion from the sea. The reefs play a vital role is defense against strong waves in the Maldives that would usually destroy beaches. As mentioned in the Australia research, it is expensive and difficult to replace coral for defense against waves. There are only a few islands remain protected from beach erosion. Most Maldivian islands face extreme beach erosion. In some islands the destructive waves break in to resident houses near the beach. The Maldives are literally built on coral reefs and would not exist and without the protective fringe.
~Coral reefs hold important stories to many native Maldivians. There are stories of many fables that speak of trial and triumph with coral reefs.
