Introduction

Life, economic prosperity and social development in Maldives depend upon maintaining our atoll ecosystems in a healthy natural state. Our reefs, islands and surrounding seas and everything within these ecosystems are the natural assets on which the tourism and fishing industries depend, which provide us with land for development and materials for building, and most importantly which protect us from natural disasters.  More than almost any country in the world, our future is inextricably linked to the quality of our natural environment and resources within the environment.

There is widespread recognition that conventional approaches have not been effective in conserving our natural environment and biodiversity. We are losing keystone species like sharks, several fisheries are in decline, the land and seas are increasingly polluted, and we are threatened with coastal erosion, storms and sea-level rise. There is an urgent need to plan and manage the country’s natural resources in a more integrated and holistic manner that is appropriate to the country’s unique geography and ecology, socio-economic development and patterns of resource use. Only by achieving this will future generations have the same rich natural resource base to support them that has sustained our development to date.

Our Vision

Recognising this challenge, the Government of Maldives with support from Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNDP established the AEC project with the purpose of designing and demonstrating an effective management system for atoll ecosystem conservation and sustainable development on Baa Atoll, which could then be replicated throughout Maldives. Our project’s Vision is:

Baa Atoll: a world class model of atoll ecosystem conservation where sustainable use supports a prosperous economy and good quality of life for all, for ever – for replication across MaldivesA world class model of atoll ecosystem conservation.....

Our economy depends on a world-famous tourism sector, and a fishery that is the envy of most fishing nations. However, to address today’s and tomorrow’s challenges, we need an integrated ecosystem conservation system of the same world class standard. The AEC will design and pilot this system for Baa Atoll, in collaboration with key stakeholders. By the end of the project, Baa Atoll will have status of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage in recognition of our achievements.

.....where sustainable use supports a prosperous economy and good quality of life for all, for ever

The capacity of atoll ecosystems to support our economy and quality of life depends on those ecosystems themselves being healthy. The use of natural resources must be maintained at sustainable levels, with active management to rehabilitate damaged ecosystems. Only if today’s use is sustainable, will future generations be able to receive the same benefits as we do today.

To read the  Implementation Strategy and download the full document click