Dynamite fishing, coral mining, and farm runoff take a toll

To help save the reefs of the Maldives, get active with these groups:

Hunting Aquatic Resources

Oceanographic Society of Maldives

Ocean Voice International

Reef Rescuers: Volunteers of the Reef Check '97 Maldives Team, led by Rosemarie Asang-Soergel (left). Photo: Reef Check

Although coral mining has threatened reefs here, the Maldives still have some of the least-touched coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. But maybe not for long: In June 1996, Mohammad Hamed of the Maldives' tourist association told the South China Post that the Maldives would add 5,000 new hotel rooms over the next decade to cope with increasing tourist visits.

Of course, the Maldives face a bigger threat than rampant tourists. While global warming is expected to raise sea levels and threaten coral reefs worldwide, in the Maldives the problem is particularly acute: The low-lying archipelago would be pretty much wiped out by a one-meter rise in mean sea level, turning 225,000 Maldivians into the world's first environmental refugees. In February 1998, Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom opened an observatory to track climate changes, declaring: "Few states stand to lose as much as the Maldives from the adverse effects of global warming and sea level rise."