BBHS CASE STUDIES - Coral Reefs - The Maldives By liz maddock

1. Location
       The Republic of the Maldives is a group of Coral Islands in the Indian Ocean to the west of India and Sri Lanka on the Equator.
        The group of low lying islands consist of about 1200 islands. Some smaller than a football field and some of the largest 1 - 2 miles long,

2. Conditions needed – temperature: no reefs develop where the mean annual temp. of water is below 18^oC. However, above 21^oC causes problems of health to the reef. The Maldives fits this temperature requirement as its temp. never exceeds these extremes.

Water depth: most reefs grow in depths of 25m or less on the margins of continents or islands. The depth of the Indian Ocean, which surrounds the Maldives, does not exceed this condition.

Light: light is needed for the photosynthesis of algae (zooanthellae) which feed the coral reefs in the Maldives. Therefore shallow water is needed to allow max. light to reach the reefs.

Salinity: corals are marine creatures which are intolerant of water which has less than 30-32psu. They can therefore survive in the saline conditions of the Indian Ocean.

3. Threats to coral reefs in the Maldives

– various types of fishing can destroy the coral reef; dynamite fishing blows up the coral which destroys the reef, nets from intensive fishing get caught on the reef and damage it, and anchors from fishing boats also harm the corals.
- rising sea levels in the Maldives are a threat as corals cant survive with sea levels above 25m. This rise in sea levels could be due to many factors (including global warming)
-extreme weather events such as hurricanes can harm the reef due to rising sea levels, strong waves etc.
-inputs of fresh water on the coasts due to an increased population and increased number of hotels are a threat as saline water is required for survival.
-mining coral is a threat
-pollution from agriculture, sewage and industry threatens the coral. This occurs due to the fact that the Maldives is an LEDC and so can’t afford cleaning plants for water. It is therefore just dumped straight into the ocean.
-dredging activities are harmful
-river-borne nutrients and sediment discharges from natural sources and deforestation are a threat

4. Why coral reefs need to be managed in a sustainable way – coral reefs are greatly important for the future of the Maldives, as these are one of the main attractions for tourists in the area. Tourism has become the country's major source of foreign exchange, surpassing fishing. In 1992 tourism income constituted 17% of GDP. Furthermore, tourism is expected to increase as the government infrastructure improvement projects in the areas of transportation, communications, sanitation, water supply, and other support facilities are put into place.

Therefore the coral needs to be sustained for the economic stability of the area.

5. Proposed solutions – education, training and legislation needs, e.g. banning dynamite fishing and coral mining. Improving public awareness

- establishing priority areas and co-ordinated integrated strategy

-emphasising key themes, e.g.

-protection of coral reefs from mining, sewage contamination, waste disposal and rising sea levels

-managing population growth and migration

-managing broader environmental issues including dredging, fresh water management, and deforestation

-setting up 19 specific site projects, e.g. the islands of Gaagandu and Gama

-monitoring, education, land-use zoning, and marine parks.