Sustainability Eco

Setting an example - sustainable, eco-tourism in the Maldives

With more than half a million tourists visiting luxury resorts on the idyllic islands of the Maldives, there is a lot of work going on from the government and local people to keep tourism sustainable in this popular tourist destination. Half a million tourists equates to twice the number of residents, so to keep mass tourism at bay the country only allows one resort per island and has specifically targeted the high end market and offers many luxury five star resorts, with some costing around �700 a night. The strict building regulations and the focus on the luxury travel market means that the rise in tourism stays at around eight per cent a year, a reasonably sustainable rate of growth.

The Maldives needs to carefully manage the number of visitors to its islands, but the biggest issue facing the future of the whole country is climate change.

The islands of the Maldives are in a very precarious position. No part of this beautiful country lies more than two metres (6.5ft) above sea level and around a quarter of the 200 inhabited islands suffer from coastal erosion problems. With the effects of climate change being felt around the world, the Maldives could end up being underwater and might not even exist by 2100 - according to the Maldives' housing and environment minister, Mohamed Aslam.

To highlight the problems faced by his country and the people who live there, the charismatic president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, staged an underwater cabinet meeting in October 2009. President Nasheed and his government are planning to make the Maldives carbon neutral by 2020, not only to help slow down the affect that climate change is having on the Maldives, but also to push the rest of the world into action to prevent environmental disasters across the world.

Resorts are being encouraged to adopt eco-friendly, carbon neutral technology and practices and the people of Male, the capital of the Maldives, are being encouraged to walk, cycle or drive clean energy vehicles. Ferry companies are being encouraged to use cleaner fuels and there are wind farms being built to help the country meet all its energy needs.

Resorts are also taking it upon themselves to find new ways to use renewable sources for energy and to cut down on their carbon footprint. The resort of Soneva Fushi has invested in solar power and has been experimenting in using cold sea water from 300 metres down to cool rooms instead of using power hungry air conditioning. They are also using a special oven to turn waste wood into charcoal or biochar, which they use in gardening as it improves soil productivity and is a carbon neutral process.

For the country to keep promoting Maldives holidays might seem an oxymoron when you are trying to create a carbon neutral country, but tourism accounts for 28% of its GDP and the project to create a carbon neutral Maldives could cost an estimated $1bn to implement. Other alternatives, such as artificial islands and research into coral reefs that could help protect the islands, will cost large sums of money too, so tourism will still have to play a vital part in this country's uncertain future.