One of the most beautiful parts of the world, and one of the most threatened by climate change and rising sea levels, is the archipelago of the Maldives.
This string of islands, atolls and coral reefs in the middle of the Indian Ocean can seem like a tourist paradise and the islands have capitalised on this in recent years, with the creation of several tourist enclaves.
This type of tourist destination is not usually to my taste as it caters purely for those who want to lie on a beach in the sun, probably with some kind of terrible book, before returning to the hotel bar in the evening.
However, that is not the only attraction of the islands. They have an interesting, if quite strict, interpretation of Islam which I would like to explore, the people sound open and friendly and the cuisine looks delicious. As with any island chain the food is primarily brought from the sea but the tropical location means that in the Maldives the food can be every colour of the rainbow, freshly caught, lightly cooked and delivered to your plate.
The main attraction of the Maldives, however, is the islands themselves and this is what I really want to see before rising sea levels subsume them forever. The shores of the islands and the lagoons are teeming with abundant and rare aquatic life, the water is warm and clear and it is, in short, a scuba diving paradise.
The greatest attraction of the Maldives is also its most fragile. The islands are now faced with a problem because the influx of tourists in recent years has brought money that can be used for conservation and helped spread awareness of the problem in the western world. However, those same tourists have to fly half way around the world to get to the Maldives and are therefore contributing, through the exhaust fumes of high altitude jets, to one of the worst causes of climate change.
This is why I will probably be unable to visit the Maldives for some time. It is possible to get to the islands by boat but it is a difficult and expensive proposition that I am as yet unable to afford. Visiting the islands to admire their fragile habitats while at the same time contributing to their demise would make me feel uncomfortable but I am prepared to wait until I can make the journey in a more environmentally friendly way.
Photo of storm in the Maldives by David Salvatori
Topic: General Travel |
0 Comments
Tags: green travel
About the author
Will Joce is a recent graduate from the London School of Economics who has a morbid fear of working in an office. As well as travelling and writing he has worked in the UK Parliament and as a press monitor. Refusing to follow advice and get a real job he will soon be beginning a Masters degree at St Petersburg State University
Leave a comment