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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
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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. Maldives Submarine Maldives ridge Map of Maldives IMPORTANCE OF CORAL IN THE MALDIVES -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’s Tourism (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 Diving centers HOW ARE THEY DAMAGING THE CORAL? -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 Rubbish on coast of Maldives 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