Gazing down on all the small islands dotted around in the turquoise lagoons is a breathtaking experience, to realize that you are just few minutes away from landing onto the paradise of this planet. Let’s have a peek into this paradise, as I land on the most beautiful beaches in the world, famous for its soft white sands & sea water that sparkles in numerous shades of blue. However, this is just half of what makes the Maldives so special. There is a whole mesmerizing life beneath the surface of the ocean.
Maldives is formed of 1200 islands & stretches from north to south over a length of over 800 kilometers in the Indian Ocean. The country is made up of 26 natural atolls; ring shaped reefs with several islands in each of them. The southernmost group of atolls are located south of equator.
Maldivians have depended upon their country's marine resources & tourism in every aspect of life & survival. Tourism in Maldives is dependent entirely on its pristine environment. This pristine environment is made up entirely of coral atolls & reefs; the Maldives has a unique & delicate marine environment. As such tourists are advised not to touch or extract corals or other marine species when diving or snorkelling. Several areas are protected and collection and export of several marine species are prohibited. While speaking to Rizwan & Dhaitha, young Maldivians I realized that the youth takes pride in their countries rich marine life but at the same time believes that tourism only, is going to help to conserve & develop it in the longer run. They value their free dives into the marine biodiversity underneath the surface which has been alluring guests across the globe to their paradise islands.
Lot’s has been written & said about the impacts of tourism on the Maladives. There is no doubt that small Island states are at the frontline of climate change impacts & sea level rise. Also, the future economic prosperity of the Maldivian economy is clearly dependent on guaranteeing the sustainability and status of these natural assets.
Some of the marine species which have been enthralling the scuba divers & snorkelers across the globe are manta rays, sting rays, whale sharks.
Environmental management, including biodiversity conservation & the sustainable and equitable use of land, water and other natural resources, is relatively new to the Maldives.
As, more & more guests putting pressure on the carry capacity of the islands, the resorts are now venturing into untouched, virgin & unhabitated islands further away from Velana International Airport. This is one aspect which in changing times needs to refrain. Let
them be as they are for a better tomorrow, for Maldivians forever, for the richness of marine life who have equal sharing rights over the turquoise oceans! For our kids to know how magnificent are living corals!
The islands already overflowing with guests are indebted to lost living corals & reefs which are now just lying as lime stones on the soft white sands. As I dived deep into the South Ari atoll, I realized that only capturing memories for lifetime than photographs, gleaned more reverence to tranquillity of marine organisms beneath the luxury above.
The luxury of islands running completely on DG Sets, having bottled water sourced from all over at the expense of in debt locals & with almost no terrestrial biodiversity left. Meanwhile, the plastic & other waste which guests happen bring along with happens to be secretively dealt with nowhere to go to! Yet, there is always hope & scope to make this world a little more perfect! For that, I was glad to stay on resort with a meaningful conservation programme. The dive center here, has established rehabilitation programs for growing artificial coral reefs and recolonizing the existing ones. Just a small step for me to start with!
