Staying afloat

Much of the Maldives will be underwater by 2100.

As the lowest lying country in the world, 80 per cent of its 1200 islands sit less than 1m above sea level. On a planet facing relative sea-level rise due to global warming, the Maldives is first in the line of fire.

With no reduction in emissions or protection against erosion, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects a sea-level rise of up to 1.1m in the next 70 years. The Indian Ocean will flood the Maldives’ sandy white shores until it swallows the country whole.

But these dire warnings are not being ignored by tourism operators and locals, with plenty of investment being funnelled into initiatives to control the effects of climate change on the islands.

This enthusiastic response to adapting traditional tourism, along with support from the government of the Maldives, will be what allows the country to achieve the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with the aim of slowing down the rising tides.

Sustainable development

The Maldives’ commitment to “one island, one resort” is aimed at controlling overdevelopment of the seascape.

While this doesn’t stop man-made islands being created for new resorts and tourism infrastructure, it does mean that new resorts must pay taxes supporting environmental conservation when building on existing atolls.

And they must commit to sustainability practices that limit their greenhouse gas emissions and waste production.

Opened in 2023, SO/ Maldives was established with a strict no-single-use plastic rule, along with solar panels to generate the resort’s energy and a wastewater management scheme to reduce environmental impacts.

SO/ Maldives director of brand Sudheer Mekkattu tells me that sustainability in the resort is a constant work in progress, as there is always something greater to achieve. Solar panels are generating 45 per cent of its power, Sudheer says, adding: “We have an opportunity to increase it, to make it 60 to 70 per cent. That’s the aim. In that way, we can control a lot of diesel consumption.”

Water

As the ocean level rises, it affects the natural water sources of the Maldives.

Freshwater aquifers are at increasingly high risk of saltwater intrusion. To leave their freshwater for locals, resort companies are investing in desalination plants that can be used across numerous resorts.

At Crossroads, an island that houses Hard Rock Hotel and Saii Lagoon by Hilton, there is a plant that desalinates water for nine islands belonging to parent company SHR.

The lush gardens of many resorts are also irrigated with greywater from kitchens, sinks and showers, so that the desalinated water is never wasted.

Sustainable eating

With import costs rising and unpredictable weather conditions affecting crops around the world, many resorts in the Maldives are turning to local production to encourage sustainable eating.

Sourcing local seafood is not only cheaper and fresher than importing it, but also more sustainable. Locals understand the necessary balance to avoid overfishing.

SO/ Maldives has recently built the Chef Garden to grow the basic vegetables and herbs essential for every commercial kitchen. While not in full bloom until later this year, head chef Robby Jaya tells me the garden is already producing enough for use in breakfasts and live cooking classes.

“We’re focusing on spring onion, bok choy, spinach, lemon grass and basil,” Chef Robby says. The garden will allow seasonal consumption, which is important for sustainable eating.

And the weekly rotating Signature Menu created by Chef Robby and his team will be inspired by the garden. “Last time we had more spinach, so they made specific dishes from the garden,” he explains.

There are also composting systems for the resort’s food waste.

Reef endeavours

The world experienced a mass coral bleaching event in 2024, with 84 per cent of coral reefs impacted by extreme heat stress.

The timeframe of this event coincided with the opening of SO/ Maldives, where the team had been attempting to establish a house reef.

After a lack of success due to high water temperatures they have turned to coral propagation programs, which have become increasingly relied upon in Maldivian marine conservation efforts. Their reef is now being grown off-site by the marine biology team at Crossroads, which is slowly planting out the area around the island in an attempt to reduce stress on the coral and support tropical fish breeding programs.

Coral reefs are essential to preventing further environmental damage to the Maldives as they slow down coastal erosion by reducing the tidal power of waves hitting the shore. They also offer natural sediments that build up the land.

Resorts building and maintaining reefs in areas where they wouldn’t otherwise exist is positively contributing to ocean conservation.

+ Ella George was in Maldives as a guest of SO/ Maldives. It has not influenced this story, or read it before publication.

+ We first met Ella through the travel writing course at University of Notre Dame, studying under Mignon Shardlow. We are pleased to bring her work to our readers.