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(CNN) — As the lowest country in the world — most of it sits just a few feet above sea level — the nearly 1,200 Indian Ocean islands of the Maldives’ sun-drenched atolls are known not just for their magazine cover-ready beaches and bungalows, but for their vulnerability to rising sea levels.

According to NASA, 80% of these islands will not be inhabited by 2050.

And this is not the only pressing environmental concern. The island nation’s remote location and limited supply of contraband — combined with heavy tourist traffic (estimated at more than 1.7 million cases a year) — have led to improper waste disposal, which the Maldives Tourism Board has gone so far as to encourage. Visitors to dispose of their own non-biodegradable waste.

The delicate coral reef ecosystem — a big draw for cynics and divers — is facing mass destruction: A 2016 scientific study found that climate change-induced coral bleaching has affected more than 60% of the nation’s reefs.

“The big picture for tourism is a healthy ocean environment that visitors come to. Clearly, this type of environment needs to be maintained to continue to attract high-spend tourism,” says James Illsmoor, chief executive of stakeholder agency Innovation. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in small island destinations — including the Maldives.

Indeed, this nature-based tourism is paradoxical here. While most of the country’s 540,000 citizens rely on related income for their livelihoods, the tourism industry is often blamed for exacerbating the environmental crisis. Resorts in the Maldives are energy and resource intensive and generate excessive waste production – and perhaps most regrettably, they depend on heavy, long-haul flights to bring in tourists.

As a result, many of the country’s 150-plus, luxury-leaning resorts aren’t just choosing to go “green” for good PR optics — experts say it’s important for business to operate as sustainably as possible in the Maldives. Long-term living.

Additionally, some recreational initiatives like clean energy infrastructure are good for the bottom line as well.

“The high cost of importing noisy and polluting generators to convert fuel into energy doesn’t make sense compared to the low cost of solar, wind and battery storage,” Ellsmoor says.

Today, several Maldivian resorts are leading the pack in innovative sustainability measures to help reduce impact — proving that luxury and sustainability can go hand in hand.

Recycling facilities on site

Historically, much of the nation’s waste has been mishandled, used to open incineration pits or dumped at sea, causing air pollution, harming marine ecosystems and/or washing ashore in the process. Thankfully, the government has taken steps to rectify these issues.

Meanwhile, studies show that tourists are the highest generators of waste per capita in the Maldives. In response, some of the island’s resorts are now working on innovative solutions for waste management.

Eco pioneer Soneva Resorts, for example, which manages two properties in the Maldives, has a robust composting program and also operates their EcoCentro – an on-site waste processing facility that recycles 90% of the resort’s plastic, aluminum and glass waste.

At Soneva, everyone starts recycling.

Soneva

The company launched its Makerspace concept at Soneva Fushi last year.

Meanwhile, Fairmont Maldives — which aims to be the country’s “first zero-waste-generating resort” — launched a sustainability lab earlier this year that will similarly focus on rethinking resorts and ocean-salvaged plastic, glass and aluminum waste. to tourist lodges and local products (such as turtle-shaped luggage tags and stationary for local schools).

The facility is planned to be a regional recycling center for local communities, with an additional mission of educating local school children on recycling and conservation.

“The school’s partnership is important as they inspire the next generation to be passionate about protecting the ecosystems and marine life that inhabit them,” said Sam Dixon, In-House Sustainability Manager and Resident Marine Biologist at Fairmont Maldives.

Solar energy installations

One resource that the tropical Maldives has in abundance is sunlight, which provides a way for many resorts to access renewable solar energy.

In the year In 2018, the private island of Kudadu Maldives became the country’s first fully solar-powered resort, with nearly 1,000 solar panels covering the roof of “The Retreat” (a food, wellness and retail hub).

Other properties with significant solar projects include the Dusit Thani Maldives, where solar panels cover the roofs of major resort buildings, and the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, which runs primarily on solar power, in the Faroe Islands (guest villas are covered with panels). and LUX* South Ari Atoll, the world’s largest floating solar farm at sea (bonus: eco-friendly solar platforms provide an artificial reef for marine life).

And it’s not just resorts that are moving to the sun. Earlier this year, Gan International Airport announced plans to become the Maldives’ first fully solar-powered airport.

Zero-food-mile dining

Due to limited agricultural infrastructure, most of the food items supplied in the Maldives must be imported. To offset some of their carbon footprint, reduce associated packaging waste and save costs at the same time, many resorts have turned to kitchens. To develop domestic “zero-food-mile” solutions.

Amilla, meanwhile, has sustainable dining ventures that go beyond standard gardens and herb gardens to include a banana plantation, a hydroponic garden, a mushroom farm, a coconut processing facility and a build-your-own “Cluckingham Palace”. Poultry farming.

Patina Maldives, Faroe Islands, bills itself as “active foodies” with an on-site organic permaculture garden open to guests foraging. zero-waste kitchens; Dining menus that promote plant-based foods; and water storage area in the house.

Patina Maldives: sweet and green.

Patina Maldives, Faroe Islands

Guests dining at Zero Restaurant at Sun Island Resort & Spa are promised a near-zero food-miles dining experience, with an emphasis on produce harvested from the hotel’s garden and fisherman’s-fresh seafood – all served at a table set in the treetops. .

Guest protection programs

Zoona Naseem is the Maldives’ second certified PADI Course Director. But instead of working with tourists, she opened a diving center for local women and children.

When the Maldives faces such dire environmental problems, many travelers are forced to step in to help.

Martein van Weel, regional general manager at Six Senses Laamu, said visitors to the Maldives are looking for sustainable resort brands that offer conservation initiatives and education.

“Travelers want more local experiences because they want to feel that they are contributing to the local communities,” she says. ”

Visitors to Six Senses Laamu can hobnob with hundreds of sea turtles and manta rays, who have successfully conserved them, and the largest team of marine scientists in the country as part of the Maldives Underwater Initiative (MI), which is run by the over one million square foot resort. Sea grass.

Resort guests can sign up for a variety of marine conservation-minded activities, including regular reef cleanups, weekly conservation talks, marine biologist-led snorkeling trips and a beginner marine biology program for kids.

Other impressive resort conservation programs include those led by the Koko Collection, a team of marine biologists responsible for ocean restoration and two Maldives properties behind the veterinarian-led ORP Sea Turtle Rescue Center. Guests can participate in coral tree planting, take part in reef cleanups or rehabilitate rescued turtles.

Gili Lankanfushi, meanwhile, will launch a new marine biology center this year with a proposed research site and an expanded coral reef restoration program.

Ultimately, says Van Wel, the influx of more discerning consumers is what the Maldives resort’s business is about catering to guests. “They can take tips and some of our little secrets on how to live a more sustainable life and take them home with them – and this takeaway is highly valued and appreciated by our guests.

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