The Indian Ocean is on the front line of climate change. Can tourism here be part of a more sustainable future?
For anyone heading to Indian Ocean beaches from colder climates, the region’s warm waters have an obvious appeal. But with sea levels rising faster here on average than in the Atlantic and Pacific, many of those beaches are at risk of being claimed by the tides — threatening the natural habitats and livelihoods of people living in coastal areas. This is a global problem, of course: sea levels worldwide have risen around 10cm in the past 30 years, with the rate increasing from 1.
One of the most direct approaches to tackling the consequences, if not the causes, of rising sea levels can be seen just to the north east of the Maldivian capital, Malé, where a reclaimed island, Hulhumalé, has been taking shape since 1997.
Some coral species are hardier than others, however. Marine biologist Jamie Craggs, whose day job is running an aquarium at London’s Horniman Museum, recently travelled to the Soneva Fushi resort in the Maldives to help set up a coral propagation facility, the first of its kind in the country. “If we can spawn corals,” he says, “we can start selectively breeding hardier corals that can withstand oceanic and climate conditions in the future.
Aminath argues the government has matched the innovation coming out of the country’s resorts. There are now strict planning laws for any new developments, along with regulations on wastewater treatment and bans on single-use plastics. “We’re also developing a net-zero plan that requires commitment from the resorts to achieve the target by 2030,” she says. “Resorts play a huge role in conservation because tourists come to the Maldives to experience its pristine seas.
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