maldives coral

Maldives Coral-situated in south of Asia off coast of India-328536 people live on 192 of 1200 islands

-Coral= placed atop submarine ridge 960km long runs from North to South of Indian Ocean

-Islands made + surrounded by coral because no rivers = no freshwater = coral growth

-developing country GDP grows by 3.4%/year-Has 2 main seasons wet (May – November) /dry (January –

March) always hot = attract tourists + good for agriculture ect.

-On of the lowest countries in world max ground level = 2.4m 80% of country’s land = coral (=1m above sea level)

-Absence of river = no inland sediments/resources + more sea territory than land depend entirely on coral reefs

-Depend on coral for: Fishing has been increasing strongly since 1990’sTourism (since 1972) 70 of uninhabited islands developed for tourists 900000

tourists/year 30% of GDP-Mining coral = important business + only natural resource they have

-Provides food/construction/materials etc. -Represent strategic natural offshore sea-defense protects against storms + string

winds (=big waves erosion)-Primary source of building material

IMPORTANCE OF CORAL IN THE MALDIVES

Maldives

Submarine Maldives ridgeMap of Maldives

-Development + increase in wealth = strong increase in population need more land

-Harbours built pollutes water (sound + water pollution) -New buildings importing materials = expensive coral mining

-Waste from tourists some gets into the sea-Fishing (tuna/anchovies) collect live bait from reef to catch bigger fish (10000

tonnes in 1994)-Planet warming 30°C water temperature optimum temp of coral = 16-30°C

coral difficulty to survive

HOW ARE THEY DAMAGING THE CORAL?

MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS

-Ecotourism recycling of heat produced by electricity + strict waste disposal policies-Passing laws protecting certain animals (turtles) fairly well respected

-There has also been a law concerning sharks (in 2010 protects sharks in 923,000km squared of Indian Ocean) not respected because of price of shark fins Sharkfin

soup delicacy-Few restrictions on where people can fish except around resorts + marine protected

areas-Some destructive fishing practices are banned: dynamite/explosives, guns/harpoons,

chemicals, use of scuba gear to collect sea cucumber/lobster-31 protected areas in Maldives

-Organizations (ex: Protect the Maldives e.V.) work to protect the Maldives and places like it raise awareness amongst the tourists

Diving centers

Rubbish on coast of Maldives