seeing this sandbag barrier on arrival, you start to understand the battle these islanders are facing. coral and coral reefs are what makes these islands, but they are facing huge challenges. so the first person i m going to meet is someone who s made it their life s passion to protect and nurture corals. thanks. this island has a population of a few hundred people. it s so thin, any erosion can have a dramatic effect on their lives. hello! i m going on a fieldtrip with aya naseem and her team. aya is a marine biologist at the maldives coral institute. she s taking me to see one of their coral projects that they hope may offer a solution in maintaining the health of these lifegiving reefs. so for the maldives, all our islands
hello! i m going on a fieldtrip with aya naseem and her team. aya is a marine biologist at the maldives coral institute. she s taking me to see one of their coral projects that they hope may offer a solution in maintaining the health of these lifegiving reefs. so for the maldives, all our islands are protected by coral. if you can see, like, where the waves are breaking, sometimes, you ll get really big waves coming in. but it all gets dissipated by that whole layer of coral that you see there. by the time it reaches the shore, it s really low impact, and it s not going to erode the beach so much. so, the coral reef is an important natural barrier to stop the erosion of the beaches? that s right. it s our first line of defence.
Sand dealers (2/6). The world s lowest-lying nation has continually dredged sand to expand its islands, build new ones and protect them from rising sea levels. But in the name of this development, the archipelago is destroying coral reefs and increasing its vulnerability.