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 ID: 303397
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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.
-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 ridge
Map 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