Maldives Coral

1. 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