Baseline Assessment Report of MEMP

8/8/2019 Baseline Assessment Report of MEMP

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BaselineAssessmentReport i|P a g e

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Citation

Thisdocumentmaybecitedas:

Usman,S.K.,(2009).BaselineAssessmentReport.Pp.48.6thAugust2009.RegionalStrategic

EnvironmentAssessment(Component3).MEMP4427MV.ProjectManagementUnit,Ministry

ofHousing,TransportandEnvironment,Male',RepublicofMaldives.

Pleasedonnotprintthisdocumentunlessyoureallyneedto.


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BaselineAssessmentReport ii|P a g e

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ExecutiveSummary

Thefirstchapterofthereportgivesabackground,scopeandmethodologyoftheassessment.In

addition, it gives an introduction to Maldives Environmental Management Project, its

component focussing on Component 3: Environmental Monitoring and Management

Component.

The second chapter gives an overview of the demographic factors of the North Province

focussing the targeted islands. This is developed in order to give a brief overview to anyone

whoreadsthereport.

ChapterfourandfivearepurelyfocusedonComponent3whereChapter4givesdescriptionof

all the monitoring programmes. Chapter 5 on theother hand focuses onquestions that were

askedinthequestionnaireusedtocollectinformation.Eachquestionisanalysedandpresented

withgraphsanddescription.

Interestingly, it is important to note that there were added advantages of being a Maldivian

when writing the baseline report, as the statistics, dicussions and findings can be predicted,

analysedandreportedbasedonopinionandcanbesupportedwithreallifeexamples.

Theconclusion isnotthe lastpartbutgivesabriefviewofthefindings.Basedonthestatistics

and findings, a section on recommendation is developed where, it states the short term

activitiestobecarriedout.

Further, the report is supported with comprehensive appendices which was used to whole

throughtoutthereport.

Keywords:Baseline,Assessment,Monitoring,Management,Component3,RSEA,MEMP


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BaselineAssessmentReport iii|P a g e

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TableofContents

Citation.............................................................................................................................................. i

ExecutiveSummary.......................................................................................................................... ii

ListofTables..................................................................................................................................... v

ListofFigures................................................................................................................................... vi

Acronyms........................................................................................................................................ vii

1. Introduction............................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Background...................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Methodology................................................................................................................... 1

2. MaldivesEnvironmentalManagementProject....................................................................... 2

2.1RegionalStrategicEnvironmentalAssessments(RSEAs)....................................................... 2

2.1.1 MapofMEMPArea................................................................................................. 3

2.1.2 Subcomponent3.1:ErosionandtheTerrestrialEnvironment.............................. 4

2.1.3 Subcomponent3.2:MarineEnvironmentalMonitoringandCoralReefs..............4

2.2.3 Subcomponent3.3:SpatialPlanning..................................................................... 4

2.2.4 Subcomponent3.4:IntegrationofFindings:ReportsandaPilotRSEA.................4

2.3 MonitoringProgrammeArea.......................................................................................... 5

2.3.1 RationaleforProgrammeArea................................................................................ 6

3. Demographics.......................................................................................................................... 7

3.1

Population

Size

................................................................................................................

7

3.2 AgeStructure................................................................................................................... 8

3.3 IslandSize........................................................................................................................ 9

3.4 Gender........................................................................................................................... 10

3.5 Age................................................................................................................................. 12

3.6 Sector............................................................................................................................. 13

4. MonitoringProgrammes....................................................................................................... 14

4.1 CoastalErosionMonitoring........................................................................................... 14

4.1.1Beach

Erosion

Data

.......................................................................................................

14

4.2 TerrestrialEcosystemMonitoringProgramme............................................................. 15

4.3 BaitandReefFisheryMonitoringProgramme.............................................................. 16

4.4 CoralReefandCoralReefEcosystemMonitoring......................................................... 17

5. FindingsfromIndividualLevelResponses............................................................................. 18

5.1ImportanceofManagingtheEnvironment......................................................................... 18


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5.2 EnvironmentalProblems............................................................................................... 18

5.2.1 BeachErosion........................................................................................................ 19

5.2.2 Flooding................................................................................................................. 20

5.2.3 ContaminationofWaterLens............................................................................... 20

5.2.4

WasteManagement

..............................................................................................

21

5.2.5 Others.................................................................................................................... 21

5.3 PerceptionofCommunityEmpowermenttoSolvetheEnvironmentalProblems.......23

5.4 ComparativeImportanceofEnvironmentalProblemRanking..................................... 24

5.5 Actions/activities Undertaken or CAN be done by Community to Mitigate

EnvironmentalProblems........................................................................................................... 25

5.6 MajorChangetoIslandEnvironmentinthepast5years............................................. 26

5.7 IndividualParticipationinEnvironmentalActivities..................................................... 27

5.8

CommunityParticipation

in

Environmental

Activities

..................................................

28

5.9 LevelofParticipationinEnvironmentalActivities......................................................... 29

5.10 Importance of knowing the Environmental Changes via a Community Monitoring

Program..................................................................................................................................... 30

5.11 InterestedinCommunityMonitoringProgram............................................................. 31

5.12 CommunityMonitoringProgramsthatRespondentsareinterestedtoparticipate.....32

5.13 ActivitiesParticipatedbyRespondentsandCommunitybyLevel................................ 33

5.13.1 EnvironmentalAwareness..................................................................................... 33

5.13.2

CleaningPrograms

.................................................................................................

33

6. Conclusions............................................................................................................................ 34

References..................................................................................................................................... 35

Annexes......................................................................................................................................... 36

Annex1:Questionnaires........................................................................................................... 36

IslandLevelQuestionnaire.................................................................................................... 36

IndividualQuestionnaire....................................................................................................... 37

Annex2:FindingsfromIslandLevel/GroupResponses............................................................ 38

Gender...................................................................................................................................

38

EnvironmentalProblems....................................................................................................... 38

ParticipationRateinEnvironmentalActivities...................................................................... 39

Levelofenvironmentalactivitiesparticipated...................................................................... 39

CommunityMonitoringProgrammes................................................................................... 40


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ListofTables

Table1:CommunityMonitoringProgrammeArea......................................................................... 5

Table2:RationaleforSelectionofProgrammeArea...................................................................... 6

Table3:IslandswithBeachErosion.............................................................................................. 14

Table4:GenderofParticipants..................................................................................................... 38

Table5:EnvironmentalProblems,inpercentageofresponse..................................................... 38

Table6:ParticipateRateinEnvironmentalActivitiesbyCommunityandRespondents..............39

Table7:LevelofEnvironmentalActivitiesparticipated,inpercentageresponse........................ 39

Table8:InterestsinparticipationinCommunityMonitoringProgrammes,byrespondents......40


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ListofFigures

Figure1:MapofProjectArea......................................................................................................... 3

Figure2:PopulationSizeoftheMonitoringIslands....................................................................... 7

Figure3:AgeStructureofMonitoringIslands,2006...................................................................... 8

Figure4:MonitoringIslandsSize,2005.......................................................................................... 9

Figure5:GenderofRespondents.................................................................................................. 10

Figure6:Numberofpeopleparticipatedininformationsessions,byGender............................. 11

Figure7:AgeStructureofRespondents........................................................................................ 12

Figure8:EmploymentofRespondentsbySector......................................................................... 13

Figure9:EnvironmentalProblemsidentifiedbyRespondents..................................................... 18

Figure10:CoastalErosionasaproblem,bypercentageofrespondents..................................... 19

Figure11:Floodingand/orInundationasaproblem,bypercentageofrespondents.................20

Figure12:Contaminationofwaterlensasaproblem,bypercentageofrespondents...............20

Figure13:Wasteasaproblem,bypercentageofrespondents................................................... 21

Figure14:OtherEnvironmentalProblemsaffectingislandpopulation........................................ 22

Figure15:PerceptionofCommunityEmpowermenttoSolvetheEnvironmentalProblems......23

Figure16:ComparativeImportanceofEnvironmentalProblemRanking.................................... 24

Figure17:IndentifiedMajorChangedtotheEnvironmentinthePast5Years........................... 26

Figure18:RespondentsParticipationRateinEnvironmentalActivities....................................... 27

Figure

19:

Community

Participation

Rate

in

Environmental

Activities

.........................................

28

Figure20:LevelofParticipationinEnvironmentalActivities........................................................ 29

Figure 21: Importance of identifying Environmental Changes via Community Monitoring

Programs....................................................................................................................................... 30

Figure22:RespondentsInterestedtoParticipateinCommunityMonitoringPrograms.............31

Figure23:CommunityMonitoringProgramsRespondentsareInterestedtoParticipate...........32


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Acronyms

AEC Atoll EcosystemConservation

CMP CommunityMonitoringProgramme

DNP

Departmentof

National

Planning

EPA EnvironmentalProtectionAuthority

ERC EnvironmentResearchCentre

GDP GrossDomesticProduct

Ha Hectors

IDA InternationalDevelopmentAssociation

M&E MonitoringandEvaluation

MEMP

MaldivesEnvironmentalManagement

Project

MPAS MaldivesProtectedAreaSystem

MRC

Marine

Research

Centre

MT MetricTon

NCMN NationalCoastalMonitoringNetwork

NGO NongovernmentalOrganization

PMU ProjectManagementUnit

RSEA

RegionalStrategicEnvironmental

Assessment

TIA TsunamiImpactAssessment

UNDP UnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramme

US$ UnitedStatesDollar

WDC Women'sDevelopmentCommittee


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BaselineAssessmentReport 1|P a g e

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1. Introduction1.1BackgroundThe

main

objective

of

the

exercise

is

one

of

aggregating,

compiling

and

summarizing

available

secondarydataandprimarydatacollected intheInceptionTrips inordertoprovideanoverall

picture of the current situation in the target islands focusing on Regional Strategic

EnvironmentalAssessmentComponent(RSEA).

The assessment will provide a benchmark for comparison to be made with the situation of

project target areas after the implementation of planned interventions. In addition, the

assessmentwillserveasbasistomeasureprojectprogressinachievingdesiredobjectivesinthe

targetislands,bycomparingfiguresandsimilarcontrolgroups.

The key output of the exercise is this Baseline Assessment Report. Main part of the report

presentsthemostrelevantdata/summarystatisticsanditsdiscussionstogetherwithimplication

and

suggestion

for

project

intervention

design.

Detailed

data

consulted

to

prepare

the

assessment is presented in Annexes using Tables. Where possible, data is presented

disaggregatedbyisland.

1.2MethodologyThe report presented below reflects findings and conclusions as compiled by July 2009. In

additionstothedocumentsconsulteditisbasedontheprimarydatacollectedintheInception

Trip. With respect to the concern, information was mainly derived from the questionnaires

(Annex)developedtocollectprimarydata.

Thereportisintendedtobeusedasabackground/baselinedocumentforreferenceduringthe

remainingimplementationperiodandalongwiththeMonitoringandEvaluation(M&E)system,

to allow measurement of the progress/achievements of the targets. The report discusses the

current facts and gives tabulated/graphical representations of the data collected for easier

reference.

Findings and conclusions presented below are those of the author and do not substitute any

commitmentofeitherMEMPorPMU.

Firstofall,theRSEACoordinatorreviewedtheprojectobjectives,targets,and indicators.This

allowed the RSEA Coordinator to develop questionnaires for the component baseline. It also

helped to determine with project objectives, areas of interventions and indicators, thus

understanding which type of information and data would be relevant for inclusion in the

baselineassessment.

The RSEA Coordinator then reviewed available secondary data sources to collect and collate

relevantinformationanddatatobeincludedinthebaselineassessment. Baseduponthedata

collected and tables compiled, the RSEA Coordinator prepared a draft report which was

discussedwiththeprojectadvisorandprojectstaff.Theillustrationofthebaselinefindingslead

to recommendations for project interventionsand targeting, that is discussed and included in

thefinaldraftofthereport.


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2. MaldivesEnvironmentalManagementProjectThe Government of the Republic of Maldives has received financing from the International

Development Association (IDA) toward the cost of the Maldives Environmental Management

Project.

MaldivesEnvironmental

Management

Project

has

been

divided

into

four

(4)

components

which

include: (1) a regional solid waste management program for the North Central Region; (2)

capacity building for environmental management; (3) technical assistance for a regional

strategic environmental assessment enhancing environmental management through the

collectionanduseofdataand(4)projectmanagementandprojectcommunications.

Thisprojecthastwodevelopmentobjectives.Thefirstseeksto improveanddevelopasocially

andenvironmentallysustainablesystemofsolidwastemanagementthatreducestheassociated

environmentalandpublichealthrisksandcanbereplicatedandscaledupacrossthecountry.

The second aims to strengthen capacity for environmental management in the Maldives, by

addressing some of the human resource constraints and informational impediments to

improved environmental management. It aims to have decisionmaking processes of relevant

government

agencies

make

use

of

trained

professionals

and

scientific

information

to

assess,designandimplementresponsestoenvironmentalrisks.

2.1RegionalStrategicEnvironmentalAssessments(RSEAs)

Regional strategic environmental assessments (RSEAs) will facilitate the inclusion of

environmental considerations into national development policies and spatial planning in a

geographically prescribed area. To be credible and useful, the RSEA needs to be grounded in

scientificinformationandevidenceoftrends. Thiscomponentwouldsupportaparallelprocess

designedto fillcritical informationgaps interrestrialandmarineenvironmentalmonitoringas

prioritizedbyGovernmentofMaldives.

Sparse information and the absence of baseline data remain one of the key impediments to

stimulating

discussions

and

policy

deliberations

that

would

lead

to

greater

community

awarenessandbetterdecisionmaking.

Recognizing that there are insufficient resources in the project envelope to fill all the

information gaps, this component selectively targets issues and information gaps where

assistanceismosturgentlyneeded.ThisreflectstheGovernmentofMaldivespolicypreference

andtheneedtoexerciseeconomy.

Accordingly theprojectwill fundanumberofmonitoringandresearchactivities toassess the

impactofhumanactivities,globalwarmingandotherfactorsonthelocalenvironmentinNorth

Province(Baa,Raa,LhaviyaniandNoonuatoll)ofthecountrytogaugechangesinkeyvariables.

The evidence would allow an opportunity to adopt policies that may slow down or arrest

processesthat

are

destructive

of

the

natural

capital

of

the

Maldives.

A multilayered monitoring and awareness effort will be supported by linking schoolaged

children with participating resort islands and public agencies to collect, consolidate and

interpret relevant information at the ecosystem level. This would provide an opportunity to

raise awareness of climate change impacts and reinforce the importance of maintaining the

naturalprotectivebuffersprovidedbycoralreefs.Communitybasedmanagementplansforthe

selectedsiteswouldbesupportedunderthisactivity.


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MEMP4427

2.1.1 MapofMEMPArea

Figure1:MapofProjectAreaThe primary objective of this component is to expand the knowledge base regarding critical

natural resources on which the Maldives ecosystem and economy depend. Recognizing that

there are insufficient resources in the project envelope to fill all the information gaps, this

component selectively targets issues and information gaps where assistance is most urgently

neededandpromotesactivitiesdesignedtostimulatediscussionsandpolicydeliberationsthat

wouldleadtogreatercommunityawarenessandbetterdecisionmaking.


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MEMP4427

Amajorfocusofthiscomponentwillbeonaddressingtheissueofbuildingclimateresilienceby

improved management and stewardship of the countrys coastal resources (marine and

terrestrial).

This component will explore the status of the bait fishery, the interactions between coral

recovery(health)andfishstocksaswellasprovideinputsforthedevelopmentofabaitfishery

managementplan.

The

Project

will

support

monitoring

by

professional

scientists

that

in

some

instanceswillbesupportedbycommunitiesasaneffectivewayofcreatingawarenessandalso

collectingbasicdatainasystematicfashionfromalargenumberofsites.

2.1.2 Sub-component3.1:ErosionandtheTerrestrialEnvironment Supportmonitoringandtechnicalreportstoaddresstheissueoferosion,harbourimpacts

anddesigntominimizeerosion,landusealternativesandsoftengineeringsolutionssuch

asmangroveseedingtoarresterosion.

Awarenessraisingandcommunityinvolvementwillbecentraltothissubcomponent.

2.1.3Sub

-

component

3.2:

Marine

Environmental

Monitoring

and

Coral

Reefs

The main policy focus of this subcomponent will be on addressing the risks of climate

change,andenhancingnaturaladaptivecapacity.

An assessment of coral tolerance to climate change, reef connectivity and critical

climateresilientreefareas.

CommunitymonitoringcombinedwithtechnicalassistancetoMarineResearchCentre

(MRC)willfeeddirectlyintotheformulationofanationalbaitfisherymanagementplan

to give emphasis on seeking more sustainable alternatives to the current bait fishing

practices.

2.2.3 Sub-component3.3:SpatialPlanning

Will

allow

Department

of

National

Planning

(DNP)

to

extend

its

assessments

into

the

marine environment and to take both terrestrial and marine variables into account in

planning, raising the quality of landuse planning to a new and higher level, and to

facilitatingtheintegrationofenvironmentalconcernsinlanduseplanning.

Support acquisition of software, hardware and processing of satellite imagery in digital

form,thetrainingofspecialistsintheirinterpretation.

Trainingneededtobuildcapacity.

2.2.4 Sub-component3.4:IntegrationofFindings:ReportsandaPilotRSEA RSEAtoexaminehowfactorscumulativelyaffectecologicalandhuman livingconditions

withinaprescribedarea.

Communitiesare

expected

to

play

alead

role

in

defining

the

scope

of

the

exercise

and

being involved in understanding and assessing the consequences of alternative

developmenttrajectories.

Integration and use of information will proceed to inform policy and for development

decisions.


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MEMP4427

2.3 MonitoringProgrammeAreaTable1:CommunityMonitoringProgrammeArea1

Atoll

EnvironmentProtectionAgency2 MarineResearchCentreTerrestrialMonitoring(inhabitedislands)

ErosionMonitoring(inhabitedislands)

ControlledSite

(TerrestrialandErosion)

InhabitedIslands Resorts ControlSites

NoonuManadhoo Manadhoo Dhigurah Manadhoo

Medhafushi/

IrufushiDhigurah

Velidhoo Holhudhoo Velidhoo Maavelavaru

Kendhikolhudhoo Kendhikulhudhoo Kendhikolhudhoo

RaaUngoofaaru Hulhudhuffaaru Vandhoo Ungoofaaru Meedupparu Vandhoo

Meedhoo Alifushi Meedhoo

Vaadhoo Meedhoo Vaadhoo

BaaEydhafushi

Eydhafushi

Olhugiri

Eydhafushi

Sonevaafushi

Olhugiri

Kamadhoo Thulhaadhoo Kamadhoo RoyalislandHorubadhoo

thila

Kudarikilu Dhonfanu Kudarikilu Landaagiraavaru

Hithaadhoo Hithaadhoo

LhaviyaniNaifaru Naifaru Lhoassalafushi Naifaru Madhirguraidhoo Fushifaruthila

Hinnavaru Hinnavaru Hinnavaru KureddhuKureddhu

express

Kurendhoo Kurendhoo Kurendhoo Kanuhuraa Lhoassalafushi

Komandoo

1 Islands ofBaaatollwerenotvisited in the inceptionperiodas lotofenvironmentalactivities areon

goinginBaaislandsfromAtollEcosystemConservation(AEC)projectattheperiod.2Theselectedislandsaresubjectedtochangewhenthefinalconsultanciestakesplace.


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MEMP4427

3. Demographics3.1 PopulationSizeWhen presenting the population size, females and males are presented in the same graph

allowingcalculatingthetotalpopulationsize.Thiswillhelptoeasilycomparethepopulationsize

inthe

target

islands

and

also

between

the

different

atolls.

Itisseenthatthefemaleandmalepopulation isalmostequal ineachofthe islandwithminor

differences.

Figure2:PopulationSizeoftheMonitoringIslandsSource:Census2006

According to the Population and Housing Census (Census, 2006), from the selected islands

Lh.Naifaru(3687)andLh.Hinnavaru(3017)hasthehighestpopulation.

AdetailtablewhichgivesthepopulationsizesofeachislandisattachedwiththeAnnex.

847 639 636 894 1,659 648 1,840 1,035 791 898 1,517 179 158 1,249 389 114 196 899

680

565 565

822

1,358

570

1,847

939

725838

1,471

141 147

1,160

369

117159

860

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Ho

lhu

dhoo

Ke

dhiko

lhu

dhoo

Mana

dhoo

Ve

lidhoo

Hinnavaru

Kuren

dhoo

Na

ifaru

Alifus

hi

Hu

lhu

dhu

ffaaru

Mee

dhoo

Ugoo

faaru

Vaa

dhoo

Dhon

fanu

Ey

dha

fus

hi

Hithaa

dhoo

Kama

dhoo

Ku

dari

kilu

Thu

lhaa

dhoo

Noonu Lhaviyani Raa Baa

PopulationSizeofMonitoringIslands,2006

Female Male


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MEMP4427

3.2 AgeStructureThemonitoringislandsagestructureisrepresentativeofthenationalagestructure,whichgives

moreyouth,thenchildrenandlessoldagepeople.Thestructureisslowlychanging.Hence,the

youthpopulationandoldagepopulationincreases,givingrisetonewconcerningissuesE.g.:the

increase in the number of youths who are unable to find employment opportunities leads to

othersocial

problems.

Majority of monitoring islands population is youth and children. In addition, there is a huge

disparitybetweenatolls.ThismightbeduetoLh.NaifaruandLh.Hinnavarubeingurbancentres

withextrahighpopulationcomparedtoalltheotherislands.

Figure3:AgeStructureofMonitoringIslands,2006Source:Census2006

According to the Population and Housing Census (Census, 2006), the highest population

structureagegroup less isthanbetween1539years(11,237),whichisfollowedbybetween

less than 14 years age group (10,123), then between 40 64 age group (4,782) and the last

being65andabove(1,675).

AdetailtablewhichgivestheagestructureoftheislandsisattachedwiththeAnnex.

1960 2334

970372

2782

3192

1402

515

3356

3388

1330

451

2025

2323

1080

337

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Lessthan14 years Between1539 Between4064 65andabove

AgeStructureofMonitoringIslands,2006



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MEMP4427

3.3 IslandSizeMaldiveshasanareaoflessthan300squarekilometres(115squaremiles)andatotalcoastline

of 644 kilometres (400 miles). The islands form a narrow chain 820 kilometres (510 miles) in

length and 130 kilometres (81 miles) in width within an area of 90,000 square kilometres

(34,749squaremiles)ofocean.Inaveragemostoftheislandsaresmall insizeandfew islands

arebig.

Figure4:MonitoringIslandsSize,2005Source:TsunamiImpactAssessmentSurvey,2005

AccordingtotheTsunamiImpactAssessment(TIA,2005),selectedislandsfromNoonuatollare

biggerthantherestoftheselectedmonitoring islands;specificallyN.Kendhikolhudhoo isfour

timesbiggerthantheaveragesizeoftheisland.

Adetailtablewhichgivesthesizeofislands(inha)isattachedwiththeAnnex.

17

219

92

43

1320 14

46 49

31 28 31

1322 28 16 14

5

0

50

100

150

200

250

Ho

lhu

dhoo

Ke

dhiko

lhu

dhoo

Mana

dhoo

Ve

lidhoo

Hinnavaru

Kuren

dhoo

Na

ifaru

Alifus

hi

Hu

lhu

dhu

ffaaru

Mee

dhoo

Ugoo

faaru

Vaa

dhoo

Dhon

fanu

Ey

dha

fus

hi

Hithaa

dhoo

Kama

dhoo

Ku

dari

kilu

Thu

lhaa

dhoo


Size

in

Hectors(Ha)

IslandSize(inHa),2005


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MEMP4427

3.4 GenderMaldivian men are usually the social and economic heads of households, however, women

shoulder the daytoday management and decision making within the household. Hence, if a

malecanberepresentedfromasectorthenafemaledoesnotrepresent.

The

timings

of

the

meeting

plays

an

important

role

in

Males

and

Females

participating

in

the

meetings,atspecifictimesofthedayfemalesaremorehookedwithhouseworkthantheother

times(e.g:morningandlunchtime).

Figure5:GenderofRespondentsOftherespondents,82%(76individuals)weremale,whiletherest24%(26individuals)were

females.Hence,itisnotablethatmoremalesparticipatedintheinformationsessionsaswellas

interviews.Asnotedabove,thismightbeduetothetimingsofsomemeetingswhichweremid

afternoonormorning,wherekitchenandhouseworkforwomenismosthectic.

Female

3627%

Male

97

73%

Genderoftherespondents

Female

Male


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MEMP4427

Figure6:Numberofpeopleparticipatedininformationsessions,byGender

The number of people participated in the information session and interview session were

different. More people participated in the information session, while selected people

participatedintheinterviewsession.

15 1619

129

20

1416

49

9 1011

21

12 11

5

30

6 6

02 1

3 35

73

17

75

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Manadhoo

Velidhoo

Kendhikolhudhu

Holhudhoo

Irufushi

Ungoofaaru

Meedhoo

Vaadhoo

Hulhudhufaaru

Alifushi

Angolhitheem

Rasmaadhoo

Naifaru

Hinnavaru

Kurendhoo

Noonu Raa Lhaviyani

NumberofPeopleParticipatedintheInformationSessions

Men Women


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3.5 AgeYoungergenerationsarebecomingmoreawareofthedelicatenatureofourecosystemandits

vulnerabilitytonaturalandmanmadechanges.Thismightbeduetothefactthatenvironment

ismoreintegratedintotheschoolcurricula.Hence,itisnotablethatmoreyouthparticipatedin

theinformationsessionsaswellasinterviewsessions.

Figure7:AgeStructureofRespondentsThemajorityoftherespondents,49%(65individuals)wereoftheagegroupbetween21to35

year,whichwas followedby theagegroupof36to50yearsofage (27%36 individuals).The

restwereoftheagegroup51andabove(9%12 individuals),people lessthan20yearsofage

(8%10)andapopulationwhichdidnotmentiontheage(8%10individuals).

Lessthan20

10

7%

Between21and35

65

49%

Between36and50

36

27%

51andabove

12

9%

Notmentioned

10

8%

AgeStructureofRespomdentsLessthan20 Between21and35 Between36and50 51andabove Notmentioned


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MEMP4427

3.6 SectorPeople were invited from the main sectors of the island, including selected people from the

NGOs,GOs,anddifferentsectors(health,education,fisherman,farmers).

Figure8:EmploymentofRespondentsbySectorThemajorityoftherespondents,30%(40 individuals)wereworking intheCivilService,which

wasfollowedbyagroupofrespondents,28%(21individuals)whowerenotemployed.Thiswas

followedby

Educational

and

Health

sectors

with

15%

(19

individuals)

and

9%

(12

individuals)

respectively.Therestweredividedintosmallsubsectorssuchasengineering(5%7individuals),

fishing (5%7 individuals), business (4%5 individuals), NGO/WDC (2%3 individuals), carpentry

(2%3individuals)andotherssectors(7%9individuals).

CivilService

40

30%

Education

19

15%Health

12

9%Engineering

7

5%

Fishing

7

5%

Business

5

4%

Carpentry

3

2%

NGO/WDC

3

2%

Others

9

7%

UE

28

21%

EmploymentSectorofRespondentsCivilService Education Health Engineering Fishing Business Carpentry NGO/WDC Others UE


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MEMP4427

4. MonitoringProgrammes4.1 CoastalErosionMonitoringCoastalerosion isprevalentonmany islandsintheMaldives.Indeed islandcommunitiesinthe

Maldives have been confronting coastal erosion throughout the history of occupation of the

islands.Coastal

erosion

has

become

one

of

the

most

urgent

and

serious

issues

Maldives

is

facing

afterthe2004TsunamiandstrongswellswhichlashedthecountryinMayandJune2007.Island

communities have also recognised coastal erosion as the most serious environment problem

they are facing according to the Public Perception Survey undertaken in 2007. Consequently,

coastalerosionmayposegreatereconomicriskto infrastructureandsocioeconomicactivities

than ever before. Therefore, coastal erosion may be expected to become an even greater

managementissueoverthecomingdecades.

Although,coastalerosionisoneofthemajorthreatstotheislandswellbeingintheMaldives,

therehasbeennoresearch/studyconductedtomonitortheeffectstothecoastaldynamics.In

2007,theERC(EPA)establishedaNationalCoastalMonitoringNetwork(NCMN)whichaimedto

monitortheeffectstothecoastaldynamicsduetoseasonalchanges.

Under theNCMN11 (eleven)uninhabited islands were randomlyselectedacross thecountry:

Hdh.Hondaidhoo,Hdh.Kanama,F.Himithee,F.Madivaruboduhuraa,V.Rahgandu,V.Fohtheyo

boduhuraa, Ga. Mandhoo, Gdh. Rahadhoo, Gdh. Havodigalaa, S. Dhigihera and S.

Kedavaaherais. Each of these islands is surveyed twice; once during NE monsoon and once

duringSWmonsoon.Uninhabitedislandswereselectedtoprovideabaselineforislandswhere

therearenomanmademodifications.ThemonitoringdatacollectedarebeingsecuredatEPA

andanalysisyettobeundertaken.

4.1.1BeachErosionDataTable3:IslandswithBeachErosion

Islandswithbeacherosion

Islands

withfurtherbeacherosion

Percent PercentAtoll AreaName 2004 2005

NoonuHolhudhoo 100 100Kedhikolhudhoo 100 100Manadhoo 100 0Velidhoo 100 100

LhaviyaniHinnavaru

100

0

Kurendhoo 100 0Naifaru 100 0

RaaAlifushi 100 100Hulhudhuffaaru 100 n.a.Meedhoo 100 0Ugoofaaru 100 0


23/48


MEMP4427

Vaadhoo 100 100

Baa

Dhonfanu 100 0Eydhafushi 100 0Hithaadhoo 100 0Kamadhoo 100 0Kudarikilu 100 0Thulhaadhoo 100 0

4.2 TerrestrialEcosystemMonitoringProgrammeEcosystemsoftheMaldivescanbecategorizedas islands,reef,coastal,mangrove,swamp,sea

grassandopenoceansystems.Maldivesbeinganationofatolls,thedominatingenvironmentis

themarineenvironmentwithcoralreefs forming themajorecosystem.Theotherecosystems

suchasseagrass,mangroves,coastalvegetationandswampsarelimitedspatiallyandtherefore

ofsignificantimportancetothecountry.Therehavebeennocomparativesurveysofterrestrial

ormarinebiodiversityintheMaldivianarchipelagoasawhole.Mostbiodiversitystudiescarried

outtodatehavebeenresearchorientedprogramsorprojectssuchasthe:

Maldives Protected Area System (MPAS) Project: Assessment of Eidhigali Kulhi and

KoatteyArea,S.Hithadhoo,Maldives

HuraaMangroveParkProject: asocioeconomicandecologicalmonitoringassessment

was carried out and a socioeconomic and ecological monitoring toolkit for Huraa

MangroveParkwasdevelopedwithfinancialandtechnicalassistancefromUNEP,IUCN

andWetlandInternational.

AtollEcosystemConservation(AEC)project:detailedmarineandterrestrialbiodiversity

of

Baa

Atoll

is

being

carried

out

with

funding

and

technical

assistance

provided

under

theGEF/UNDPfundingmechanism.


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MEMP4427

4.3 BaitandReefFisheryMonitoringProgrammeTunafishingisthesinglemostimportantfisheryactivityintheMaldives.Currentcatchesareof

theorderof the150,000MTperyearprovidingover90millionUS$ indirectexportearnings.

Thefishingactivityitselfprovidesdirectemploymentforabout16,000peopleandthousandsof

moreinpostharvestactivities.ThefisheriescontributiontoannualGDPisabout10%.Fishingis

conductedfrom

pole

and

line

which

requires

live

bait

taken

from

coral

reefs.

Sustained

catches

of live bait is critical for the poleandline tuna fishery which the economy and peoples

livelihoodsareheavilydependentupon.

The live baitfish monitoring component under the World Bank supported Maldives

EnvironmentManagementProjectprovidesauniqueopportunitytofurtherstudythestatusof

the bait fishery.Themainobjectiveof thebait fisherycomponent is todevelopabait fishery

management plan. In doing so a complete analysis of baitfish data available at the Marine

ResearchCentrewillbeundertakenandnewdatawillbegatheredfromtheprojectarea.

Livebaitfishingisanessentialcomponentofthetunapoleandlinefisheryandcontinuestobe

undertaken as part of the daily tuna fishing operations. In the past live bait fishing was

undertaken

in

early

mornings

utilized

square

lift

nets

deployed

from

the

sides

of

boat.

This

technique of live bait catching involved making use of divers in water where the schools are

activelyluredontothenet.Thetaskistimeconsumingandrequireslargenumberofpeople.

Livebaitfishingoperationshave,however,changedfromanearlymorningactivitytonighttime

activityusing lights.Althoughsome fishermen initially feltstronglythatnight timebait fishing

activitiesusing lightswasdetrimentaltobait fishpopulationsand tuna fishery ingeneral, it is

nowroutinelypracticedbyall fishermenthroughouttheMaldivesand isconsideredtobethe

mosteffectivewayforcatchinglivebait.Theswitchfrommorninglivebaitfishingoperationsto

thenighttimehastremendously improvedtheefficiencytotunafishingeffort.Increase insize

oftunafishingvesselshas increaseddemandforlivebait.Quantitiesrequiredatpresenttimes

caneasilyexceed0.5MTperfishingtrip.

The

live

bait

species

used

in

the

Maldives

are

small

demersal

species

live

on

coral

reefs

and

shallow area of the atoll lagoon, and that have short generation time and high population

throughput. Naturally their abundance and catchability varies greatly between seasons and

regionsthroughouttheMaldives.Thehighnaturalvariabilitycombinedwiththelargequantities

requiredper fishingtripandyear round fishinghaveresulted fishermencomplainingofabout

shortagesoflivebait.

There are other fisheries that utilize live bait creating additional demand on the resource.

Variousformsofreeffishingandtheyellowfinhandlingfisheryrequire largequantitiesof live

baitonaregularbasis.Alsobaitfishvarieties,particularlyspratsarenowroutinelycaughtand

landed as a food fish. These all have increased total live bait catch currently estimated over

25,000MTperyear.

Givetheessentialnatureofthelivebaitfisheryfortunafishing,manyviewtheshortagesofbait

supply may be an impediment for further expansion of the tuna fishery. At a time when the

industryisdemandingecolabellingofthetunafishery(suchasMSCcertification),concernover

overexploitionofbaitresourcesisofseriousconcerntofisherymanagers.


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MEMP4427

4.4 CoralReefandCoralReefEcosystemMonitoringConservation,sustainableuseandmanagementofcoralreefresourcesareamongthenational

priorities in the Maldives as the countrys economy is largely dependent on the health and

resilience

of

the

coral

reefs.

Degradation

of

coral

reef

resources

because

of

natural

and

or

humanimpactshasbeenexperiencedmorefrequentlyandintensivelyinrecentyears.

The Marine ResearchCentrebegananationalcoral reef monitoringprogramafter thesevere

bleaching in 1998. The bleaching led to high mortality of many of the coral populations

throughoutthecountry.Monitoringofselectedsiteswasconductedyearlyfrom1998to2005

withthepurposeofquantitativelydocumentingthepostbleachingstatusandcurrenthealthof

theshallowwatercoralcommunitiesonthereefsintheMaldives.

The reef recovery process over the last 10 years is variable among the 15 monitoring sites

established in 5 regions (atolls) from north, centre and south of Maldives. Recovery in the

southern atolls was highest while the northern atolls showed the slowest gain in coral cover.

Factors

influencing

the

coral

reef

recovery

such

as

successful

reproduction

and

recruitment

of

corals,corallarvaltransportandreefconnectivityandotherprocessappeartobecomplex.


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MEMP4427

TheMaldiveshasarichbiodiversityandthecoralreefecosystemisoneofthemostproductive

ecosystemswithlinkagesrangingfrommicroscopicplanktontothegiantspermwhale.

TheMaldives isveryvulnerableaswell.Theverysmallsizeandvirtual isolationofthe islands

maketheirecosystems,bothonlandandthesea,particularlyfragile.Untilrecentlythelifestyles

of Maldivians had beensosimple that its impact on the environmentwasminimal. However,

therapid

socio

economic

development

and

fast

growing

population

have

greatly

contributed

to

thedegradationoftheenvironment.

Current environmental issues stem in large part from the high population density which is

aggregated onto relatively few islands in each atoll. The problems of a number of the more

densely populated islands and some tourist resorts have reached critical levels in terms of

environmental management. The following subheadings describes briefly on the problems

associatedwiththeislandcommunities.

5.2.1 BeachErosionThe islands of the Maldives are very transient, building and eroding at a rapid rate, and thus

beach erosion is a very widespread

problem.

Severe

cases

of

beach

erosion have been reported by

inhabited islandsandseveralresort

islands.

Itwas foundthatcausesoferosion

vary greatly from one island to the

other and the causes identified

include: loss of a source of sand;

increased exposure to the incident

wave climate due to historical

miningofthehousereef;changesin

the

near

shore

current

patterns,

eitherduetonaturalcausesorman

madechanges,suchasconstruction

ofcoastalinfrastructure;changes in

the natural sediment balance; and

up drift impoundment of sand

behind coastal structures built

withoutprefilling.

Constructionofgroynesandothersuchstructureshelps inbringingaboutsanddepositionand

beach consolidation. However, it also often leads to further complications, especially if the

constructions are improper. As a consequence of a lack of investigation of local current and

waveregimespriortoconstructionactivities,anumberofbreakwatersanddefensestructureshave been damaged by normal wave and current action resulting in expensive repair and re

design.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Manadh

oo

Ho

lhudh

oo

Irufu

shi

Ungoo

faaru

Alifu

shi

Kurendh

oo

Vaadh

oo

Meedh

oo

Hu

lhu

dhu

faaru

Ve

lidh

oo

Ken

dhiko

lhud

hu

Naifaru

Hinnavaru

Percentage

ofpeople

CoastalErosion

Figure10:CoastalErosionasaproblem,bypercentageofrespondents


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MEMP4427

5.2.2 FloodingThe islands of Maldives are reef

based and coral reefs serve as

natural breakwaters. With damage

to thecoral reefscomes thebigger

danger

of

loosing

the

natural

protection of the islands from the

waves and currents. An island with

a degraded reef is more open for

coastaldamagesismoresusceptible

to inundation by uncontrolled

waves reaching the shore. Many

islands already suffer inundation

andshorelineerosionbecauseofits

lowelevation.The inundationoften

leads to freshwater shortages and

disease

outbreaks.

Itwas found thatoneofthecauses

offloodingwashighrainfall.Inrainy

season the islands are filled with

puddlesofwaterduetothehardenedsoilwhichtrapsthewaterontop.Thisactsasanesting

groundformosquitoesandotherparasites,whichcreatesotherhealthandhygieneproblems.

5.2.3 Contamination ofWaterLens

High density human populations

affect freshwater aquifers in two

ways:

by

increasing

the

volume

of

daily water removal, and by

restricting aquifer recharge.

Freshwater resources are currently

criticalinanumberofislands both

inhabitedandsomeresortislands.

The volume of untapped

groundwater resources on other

islands is unknown. However, it is

notable that these freshwater

lenses has been progressively

depleted,leading

to

th

einstallation

of desalination plants to supply

drinkingwatertotheresidents.

Changes to aquifer resources also affect the carrying capacity of the island with respect to

vegetation,bothnaturalandagriculturalcrops.Saltwaterintrusionandsalinationoffreshwater

suppliesisknowntobeaprobleminseveral,islands.

100

7973

67

54 5044 40

3025

10 90

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Ungoo

faaru

Na

ifaru

Vaa

dhoo

Ken

dhiko

lhu

dhu

Mee

dhoo

Hinnavaru

Hu

lhu

dhu

faaru

Ve

lidhoo

Kuren

dhoo

Mana

dhoo

Ho

lhu

dhoo

Iru

fus

hi

Alifus

hi

Percentage

ofpeople

Floodingand/orInundation

10093 90 88

8278 77

75 67 64

40

30

00

20

40

60

80

100

120

Ho

lhu

dhoo

Hinnavaru

Alifus

hi

Kuren

dhoo

Mee

dhoo

Na

ifaru

Vaa

dhoo

Hu

lhu

dhu

faaru

Mana

dhoo

Ken

dhiko

lhu

dhu

Ungoo

faaru

Ve

lidhoo

Iru

fus

hi

Percentage

ofPeople

ContaminationofWaterLens

Figure12:Contaminationofwaterlensasaproblem,bypercentageofrespondents

Figure11:Floodingand/orInundationasaproblem,bypercentageofrespondents


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MEMP4427

5.2.4 WasteManagement5.2.4.1 SolidWasteDisposalSolidwastesincludedomesticandindustrialwastesoforganicandinorganicoriginandvariable

size, ranging from small tins to

whole

cars.

Waste

quantities

inislands and in the Maldives will

generally increase as the

population increases, but will

also increase on a per capita

basis as the standard of living

improves. Higher percentages of

paper, plastic, glass and metal

canbeanticipated.

5.2.4.2 SewageDisposalSewage

poses

a

series

of

potentialproblemsdependingon

the mode of disposal; discharge

of raw, untreated sewage into

the marine environment causes

nutrient enrichment, algal

blooms, deoxygenation and

humanhealthproblemsdependingonthesitingoftheoutfall.Suchconditionsadverselyaffect

coral growth. Sewagerelated problems are of concern around the densely populated islands

andsometouristresorts.

5.2.4.3 WasteOilDisposalWaste machine and lubricating oils associated with smallscale machine shops present a

problem in some islands; current disposal seems to be simply into the ground around the

workshopconcerned,resultingincontaminationofgroundwatersupplies.

5.2.5 Others5.2.5.1 SoilDegradationContinuousremovalofleaflitteranddumpingordestructionbyburninginterruptsthecycleof

nutrientreplenishmentinthesoil,resultinginreducedsoilfertilityandhencevegetationgrowth

rates.Thisproblem issevere inheavilypopulated islandsandsome touristresorts,where the

remainingvegetationmayalsobestressedthroughincreasedsalinityofgroundwateraquifers.

5.2.5.2 LandReclamationReclamationwhichintheMaldivesusuallymeansthecreationofnewlandrepresentsacapital

intensivesolutionto increasingthephysicalcarryingcapacityofaparticular island. Itresultsin

an increasedsusceptibilityofthe islandasawholeto floodingbycovering thereef flatwhich

facestheocean.Theprotectivevalueoftheunmodifiedreefflatmaybecalculatedintermsof

itsreplacementbyalternativemeansandifaddedtothecostsofthereclamationworkprovides

100 100 100 100 100 10091 91 90 90 88

69

38

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Mana

dhoo

Ho

lhu

dhoo

Iru

fush

i

Ungoo

faaru

Na

ifaru

Hinnavaru

Ken

dhiko

lhu

dhu

Mee

dhoo

Ve

lidhoo

Alifush

i

Hu

lhu

dhu

faaru

Vaa

dhoo

Kuren

dhoo

Percentage

ofPeople

WasteManagement

Figure13:Wasteasaproblem,bypercentageofrespondents


30/48


MEMP4427

a more realistic cost/ha of such land than merely the reclamation costs alone. Such activities

occuronbothlargeandsmallscalesandareusuallyassociatedwithhumanpopulationcentres

andasabyproductofharbourdredging

5.2.5.3 ClimateChangeThe

Maldives

being

afragile

low

lying

small

island

ecosystem,

it

is

very

vulnerable

to

climate

changeanditsassociatedimpactsespeciallythepredictedsealevelrise.TheMaldivianlifestyle

relying heavily on the marine

ecosystems is also under threat from

the impacts of climate change. An

increaseintemperaturecanveryeasily

bring the reef growth and reef

ecosystems to an alarmingly poor

status.

5.2.5.4 CoralMiningIn

the

Maldives,

living

coral

is

exhaustivelystrippedfromshallowreef

tops of faros by miners to supply the

construction industry. Mining corals

reduces coastline protection against

normal tideandwaveinducederosion

and sand movements and increases

coastal susceptibility by effectively

increasing water depth. One

consequence is wave setup, thereby

increasingthepossibilityofstorminducederosionandflooding.

5.2.5.5 CuttingTreesIntheMaldives,cuttingtreesisexhaustivelystrippedfromcoastalvegetationbyinhabitantsto

supply the livelihood.Cutting treeshasthesimilarconsequencesasminingcoral, likereduces

coastline protection against normal tide and waveinduced erosion and sand movements and

increasescoastalsusceptibilitybyeffectivelyincreasingwaterdepth.Oneconsequenceiswave

setup,therebyincreasingthepossibilityofstorminducederosionandflooding.

Coastalvegetation isremovedorthenaturalecologicalsuccessionofthevegetation isaltered

duringconstructionofseafrontfacilities.Thischangeofthecoastalvegetationadverselyaffects

erosionandaccretionpatterns.Aswhentheprotectionoftherootstosedimentsisremoved,it

acceleratesthesedimentmovementprocess.

79 7873

56

40 38 36

2520

11 10

00

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Hinnavaru

Ho

lhu

dhoo

Mee

dhoo

Hu

lhu

dhu

faaru

Ve

lidhoo

Vaa

dhoo

Ken

dhiko

lhu

dhu

Mana

dhoo

Alifus

hi

Na

ifaru

Ungoo

faaru

Kuren

dhoo

Percentage

ofPeople

OtherPeoblems

Figure14:OtherEnvironmentalProblemsaffectingislandpopulation


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MEMP4427

5.3 Perception of Community Empowerment to Solve theEnvironmentalProblems

Maldives has a weak link on establishing and maintaining databases, specifically, using

databases for decision making. Hence, there is a need to establish a central database for

information relating to all aspects of environment of the Maldives. Without such a database,

quantificationof

environmental

problems

is

difficult

and

identifying

solutions

impossible.

Similarly, respondents view that they cannot solve these environmental problems due to

financialproblemsaswellaslackofexpertise,knowledgeandinformationontheareas.

Figure15:PerceptionofCommunityEmpowermenttoSolvetheEnvironmentalProblemsMajority of the respondents view that there is nothing much they can do to solve the

environment problems. Only 5 view that they can solve the problems contamination of the

waterlenswhile8%viewthattheycanstopcoastalerosions.Highernumberofpeople(18and

20people)viewtheycansolvetheproblemsofwasteandfloodingrespectivelyintheisland.

8

20

5

1814

54

2147

42

23

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

CoatalErosion Flooding Contaminationof

WaterLens

Wastemanagement Others

PerceptionofCommunityEmpowermenttoSolvetheEnvironmentalProblems

Yes No


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MEMP4427

5.4 ComparativeImportanceofEnvironmentalProblemRankingA major concern in the country related to the environment is the lack of knowledge and

awareness on the issues as well as the lack of necessary resources to properly assess the

possible impacts. There is a need for research on localized environmental problems and its

impacts. There is also an urgent need for the development of resources to adapt to possible

impactsof

climate

change.

Figure16:ComparativeImportanceofEnvironmentalProblemRankingEventhough,wastemanagementisthemostcommonprobleminislands,coastalerosionisthe

most important problems to people which is following by waste. The third most important

problem is contamination of water lens and flooding. Other environmental problems, which

containalotofissuesisthelast.

46

2 2

15

2

15

3

19

27

2

5

12

27

12

3

0

22

8

9

8

0

4

0

0

31

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

CoatalErosion Flooding Contaminationof

WaterLens

Wastemanagement Others

ComparativeImportanceofEnvironmentalProblemRanking

Extremelyimportant Veryimportant Important Fair lyimportant Somewhatimportant


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MEMP4427

5.5 Actions/activitiesUndertakenorCANbedonebyCommunitytoMitigateEnvironmentalProblems

According to the respondent there are several things they do or can be done to mitigate the

environmentalproblems.Majorityoftherespondentsviewedthefollowingastheactivitiesto

mitigateenvironmentalactivities;

Refraining from taking soil: This involves refraining from taking sand from beach and

coralsfromthehousereefforconstructionandotherneeds.

Cleaning: This involves cleaning several areas that need attention. The island, beach,

wastesiteandlagoonarecleanedbysomeislandsonregularbasisasanenvironmental

activity.ItisnotablethatthereareislandswithWDCsactivelyincleaningtheislandona

regularweeklyorfortnightbasis.

Waste management: As an activity of waste management island communities, collect

waste in selected sites, clean the waste sites and also refrain from dumping waste to

beachandothernaturalhabitats.

Creating awareness and training people in the area of environmental issues are also

taken

as

an

activity

to

mitigate

the

environmental

problems.

Planting tress: This includes planting trees in the coastal zones and building up the

terrestrialvegetationoftheislandtoreduceerosion.

However,therearemanyoftherespondentswhoviewthattherearenota lotofthingsthey

can do with themselves. Hence, they need assistance from government or outsider.

Respondentsidentifiedtheseassistancecanalsocomeasinkindorfinancially.


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MEMP4427

5.6 MajorChangetoIslandEnvironmentinthepast5yearsFully aware of its dependence upon the marine and terrestrial environment, the Maldivian

society had learnt to coexist with nature. However, with the beginning of commercial

exploitationofresourcesandanacceleratedpaceofdevelopment,theenvironmentalsituation

haschangedconsiderably.Thisisidentifiedbythemajorityoftherespondents.

Figure17:IndentifiedMajorChangedtotheEnvironmentinthePast5YearsOftherespondents,99%(132 individuals)reportedthattherearemajorchangestothe island

environment,whiletherest1%(1individuals)reportedthattherearenomajorchangetothe

island environment in the past5years. Thismight happen becauseofpopulation growthand

increasing stress on the limited resources environmental issuesare today in various stages of

emergence.

132

99%

1

1%

IdentifyingChangestoEnvironment

Yes

No


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MEMP4427

5.7 IndividualParticipationinEnvironmentalActivitiesWith the environmental advocacy campaigns (e.g.: Million tree program), developmental

projects (e.g.: Atoll Ecosystem Conservation Project) and associated environmental education

andtraining inthepast;awareness levelonprotectingtheenvironmenthas increased,thus it

canbeseenthatmorepeopleactivelyparticipateintheenvironmentactivities.

Figure18:RespondentsParticipationRateinEnvironmentalActivitiesOf the respondents, 84% (112 individuals) reported that they participated in environmental

activities, while the rest 16% (21 individuals) reported that they did not participate in

environmentalactivities,duetoseveralreasons.

Yes

112

84%

No

21

16%

RespondentsparticipationrateinEnvironmentalactivities


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MEMP4427

5.8 CommunityParticipationinEnvironmentalActivitiesInthe inception trips lackof teamworkand increasingwas indentified inmostofthe islands.Several respondents identified inadequate community collaborative efforts as one of thebiggestsocialproblemsfacedbythecommunity. Thiswasfelttobeattherootofmanyother

social problems and conflicts. Reasons identified were increasing population and pressure on

landand

other

resources

were

noted

as

resultant

problems.

The

limited

opportunities

for

social

andentertainmentactivitieswerealsonotedascausingsocialproblemswithinthecommunity.

Figure19:CommunityParticipationRateinEnvironmentalActivitiesOf the respondents, 65% (87 individuals) reported that island communities participated in

environmentalactivities,whiletherest35%(46individuals)reportedthatislandcommunities

did not participate in environmental activities, due to several reasons. The major reasons

identifiedbyindividualsarecomprisedinthefollowinglist:

1. Competition between NGOs and other political groups; hence activities organised by

oneNGO/groupisnotsupportedbyothers

2. RivalrybetweenCommunity

Yes

87

65%

No

46

35%

CommunityParticipationRateinEnvironmentalActivities


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MEMP4427

5.9 LevelofParticipationinEnvironmentalActivitiesWith celebration of Environmental activities/days and implementation of environmental

projects in the Maldives, which are media friendly gives the population an idea of the how

importantandtheneedtoparticipateintheenvironmentalactivities.

Figure20:LevelofParticipationinEnvironmentalActivitiesMajority

of

the

respondents

almost

85%

(111

individuals)

mentioned

that

they

participated

in

island level environmental activities. However, participation in the national level activities is

rather less20%(28 individuals).Thismightbeduetothereach isdifficulttothe islandswhich

aresealockedbutconductingislandlevelactivitiesarebytheislandersthemselvesareeasy.

28

111

105

22

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

National Island

ParticipationinEnvironmentalActivities

Yes No


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MEMP4427

5.10 Importance of knowing the Environmental Changes via aCommunityMonitoringProgram

Raisingpublicawarenessonenvironmental issueshasbeengivenahighprioritybyMEMP.To

accomplishsustainabledevelopmentandlifestyles,environmentallysoundactionsatindividual,

household and community level need to be initiated. A number of Government agencies and

NGOswill

be

involved

in

promoting

environmental

awareness.

Wall

posters,

television

and

radio

programmes will be used to disseminate information on specific issues of concern. These

programmes will attempt to inform the public on the state of the environment within and

outsidetheisland/regionincludingimpactsofhumanactivities.

Hence, environmental awareness and training programmes will be incorporated into

CommunityMonitoringProgrammes.

Figure21:ImportanceofidentifyingEnvironmentalChangesviaCommunityMonitoringProgramsOftherespondents,98%(129individuals)were interestedtoknowtheenvironmentalchanges

via CMP, while the rest 2% (2 individuals) were not interested to know the environmental

changesviaCMP.

Yes

129

98%

No

2

2%

ImportanceofindentifyingEnvironmentalChangesviaCommunityMonitoringActivities

Yes

No


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MEMP4427

5.11 InterestedinCommunityMonitoringProgramThere isvirtuallynocapacityforenvironmentalprotectionandpreservationatislandlevel;nor

is there capacity in islands/atolls, either at the government or community level, to undertake

monitoring and management of natural resources. Given the geographic dispersal of the

population,communityparticipationinenvironmentalprotectionandconservationisimportant

tothe

long

term

success

of

the

programme.

Consultations with individuals regarding the interest in participation in the Community

monitoringprogrammeswereexceptional.Thiscanbesummarisedusingthefollowinggraph.

Figure22:RespondentsInterestedtoParticipateinCommunityMonitoringProgramsOftherespondents,94%(125individuals)wereinterestedinparticipatingCMP,whiletherest

6%(8individuals)wasnotinterestedtoparticipateinCMP,duetopersonalreasons.Themajor

reasonsidentifiedbyindividualswerelackoftimeduetocurrentemployment.

Yes

125

94%

No

8

6%

InterestedtoparticipateinCommunityMonitoringPrograms


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5.12 Community Monitoring Programs that Respondents areinterestedtoparticipate

The interest in programs is a representation of the sectors of the people participated in the

meetings and information session. It is notable that respondents preferred to participate in

activities that could be carried out staying in the islands, this is a representation of the high

numberof

civil

servants

participated

in

the

meetings.

People

showed

less

interest

to

participate

inactivitiesthatcouldbecarried inthemarineenvironmentcomparedtoactivitiesthatcould

becarriedintheland.

Figure23:CommunityMonitoringProgramsRespondentsareInterestedtoParticipateIt is seen that majority (86) of the people wanted to participate in terrestrial monitoring

activities, which is followed by Coastal erosion monitoring (69). A total of 39 and 36 people

showed interest in monitoring of coral reef ecosystem monitoring and in coral reef activities

respectively. It isnotablefrompreviousdiscussionsthat less fishermenorfishingboatowners

participated inthemeetings.Hence, lessnumber(28and22)were interestedtoparticipate in

reef fishery and bait fishery activities respectively. This can also be a representation of the

numberoffishermenorfishingboatownersparticipatedinthemeetings/interviewsessions.

2228

36 39

86 83

111105 97 94

47 50

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Bait fishery Reef fishery CoralReef Coralreef

ecosystem

Terrestrial

vegetation

CoastalErosion

NumberofpeopleinterestedtoparticipateintheCMP

Yes No


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5.13 Activities Participated by Respondents and Community byLevel

5.13.1EnvironmentalAwarenessEpisodes of large masses of fish death, dying of house corals, erosion and many other

environmental

problems

caused

the

Maldivian

communities

to

be

concerned

of

the

environment.ItisnotablethattherearefewenvironmentalNGOsandclubsactivelyconducting

and participating in the environmental awareness programs. These activities, at a large is

organizedbythecentralgovernmentasGreenorenvironmentalcelebrations.However,there

are few national NGOs, such as Live and Learn who implement awareness programmes in

selected islands. The topics of these awareness programs circle around waste, water and

sanitationandclimatechange.

5.13.2CleaningProgramsManypeopleandenvironmentalgroupshavebeeninvolvedinprojectsandactivitiestocleanup

andthe islandsandthesea/lagoonsurroundingthe islands.Whencleaningthe island,specific

siteswere

identified

by

the

respondents

which

are

listed

below:

Wastesites

Lagoon

Harbor

Sea

Coastalvegetations

Terrestrialvegetations

Thecleaningprogramsaremostlytiedwiththecelebrationofanenvironmentaldayoractivities

ata national level. Individuals and Community groups are involved to arrange these activities

from islands.However,thereareschoolenvironmentalclubs inalmostallthe islandswhotake

theinitiative

of

implementing

environmental

activities.

ItisalsonotablethatmostoftheWDCsorwomeningeneraltakeanactiveroleincleaningthe

islandsonaregularweeklyorfortnightbasis.


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6. ConclusionsThe assessment acknowledged some indicators that could be used at a later stage for

monitoringandevaluationpurpose.Thesevariablesleadtoidentificationsofthestatusand

problemsassociatedwiththeislandenvironment.

Whenconsidering

the

objectives

the

first

and

foremost

importance

was

given

to

identify

the

viewsandopiniononsevereenvironmentalproblemsoftheislands. Intheprocess,someof

thequestionswhichwereperceivedtobemore importantwhileotherwereprovennotto

haveanyrelationshipweretakenoutafterthefirsttrip.

Throughout the analysis of this assessment, authors opinion on indicators analysed was

presented. Some of it has been backed by the empirical support. The next part of the

objective of the assessment, to aggregate, compile, summarize data and profile the

characteristicsofislands,havebeenpresented.

Theobjectivetoprovideanoverallpictureofthecurrentsituationintheislandsfocusingon

keysectorswassupportedbythegraphicalrepresentationsandopinionbasedanalyses.

Inconclusion,

this

assessment

was

able

to

achieve

all

of

its

objectives

successfully

by

being

ableto identifythe important indicatorsforRSEA.Hence,theassessmentcouldbeusedat

thewhiledoingthemonitoringprogramstoseetheimpactofMEMP.


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MEMP4427

References

Development Planning Section, 2005,FifthNationalDevelopmentPlan2000 2005 [CDROM],

Finalreport,MinistryofPlanningandNationalDevelopment,RepublicofMaldives.

Development Planning Section, 2006, SixthNationalDevelopment Plan20062010 [CDROM],

Finalreport,

Ministry

of

Planning

and

National

Development,

Republic

of

Maldives.

MinistryofEnvironment,2004,StateofEnvironment,RepublicofMaldives.

PMU,2008,ProjectAppraisalDocument (PAD), MaldivesEnvironmental Management Project

4427,MinistryofEnvironment,EnergyandWater,RepublicofMaldives.PMU, 2008, Operations ManualConsolidated Final Report, Maldives Environmental

ManagementProject4427,MinistryofEnvironment,EnergyandWater,RepublicofMaldives.StatisticalSection,2007,StatisticalYearbook,2007[CDROM],Finalreport,MinistryofPlanning

and

National

Development,

Republic

of

Maldives.

Statistical Section, 2006,Population andHousingCensus,2006, Analytical Report, Ministry of

Planning and National Development, Republic of Maldives.

http://planning.gov.mv/en/images/stories/publications/analysiscd/index.html

StatisticalSection,2006,PopulationandHousingCensus,2006[CDROM],Finalreport,Ministry

ofPlanningandNationalDevelopment,RepublicofMaldives.

StatisticalSection,2008,StatisticalYearbook,2008[CDROM],Finalreport,MinistryofPlanning

andNationalDevelopment,RepublicofMaldives.

Statistical

Section,

2005,Tsunami

Impact

Assessment

Survey,

2005

[CD

ROM],

Final

report,

MinistryofPlanningandNationalDevelopment,RepublicofMaldives.

StatisticalSection,2004,VulnerabilityandPovertyAssessment II,2004[CDROM],Finalreport,

MinistryofPlanningandNationalDevelopment,RepublicofMaldives.


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IndividualQuestionnaire5MaldivesEnvironmentalManagementProject Informant(Name):

BaselineAssessment RSEAComponent Placeandareaofwork:

Atollandisland: Date: Gender: F M

Y

N

1.Isitimportanttomanagetheenvironment?

2.Isitimportanttoknowthechangestoenvironment?

3.Whataretheenvironmentalissuesyouface? PleaserankCanthecommunity

Solveit?

Erosion

Flooding

Salinisationofwaterlens

Wastemanagement

Others(plsspecify)

4.Whataretheactivitiesislandcommunitycancarryoutto

mitigateenvironmentalproblems?a. b.

5.Wasthereanyenvironmentalchangeinthelastyear?E.g.:

6.Doyouparticipateintheenvironmentalactivities?E.g.:

7.Doesthecommunityparticipateinenvironmental

activities?

If'yes'whatlevel?a.National

b.Island

8.Doyouneedawarenessprogrammestoconductcommunitymonitoringprogrammes?

9.Areyouinterestedtoparticipateinacommunitymonitoringprogramme?

10.If'yes'whataretheprogrammesyouliketoparticipate?

a.Baitfisherymonitoringprogram

b.Reef

fishery

monitoring

programme

c.Coralreefmonitoringprogram

d.Coralreefecosystemmonitoring

e.Terrestrialvegetationmonitoring

f.Erosionmonitoring

11.Canyoutellasignificantstory/incidentwhichhappenedtoyouorrelative/friendduetoenvironment?

5 The questionnaire used in the field was in Dhivehi for easy comprehension for people. This is a

translationoftheindividuallevelquestionnaire.


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ParticipationRateinEnvironmentalActivitiesTable6:ParticipateRateinEnvironmentalActivitiesbyCommunityandRespondents

Atoll Island RespondentsParticipation CommunityParticipation

Noonu Manadhoo 75 0Noonu Velidhoo 60 40Noonu Kendhikolhudhu 91 82Noonu Holhudhoo 78 89Noonu IrufushiRaa Ungoofaaru 90 100Raa Meedhoo 100 100Raa Vaadhoo 92 92Raa Hulhudhufaaru 100 81Raa Alifushi 70 50Lhaviyani Naifaru 89 89Lhaviyani Hinnavaru 79 7Lhaviyani Kurendhoo 75 75

LevelofenvironmentalactivitiesparticipatedTable7:LevelofEnvironmentalActivitiesparticipated,inpercentageresponse

Atoll Island National IslandNoonu Manadhoo 0 75Noonu Velidhoo 40 90Noonu

Kendhikolhudhu

27

91

Noonu Holhudhoo 11 100Noonu IrufushiRaa Ungoofaaru 50 90Raa Meedhoo 64 100Raa Vaadhoo 8 92Raa Hulhudhufaaru 0 94Raa Alifushi 10 50Lhaviyani Naifaru 22 89Lhaviyani Hinnavaru 7 79Lhaviyani Kurendhoo 38 38


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CommunityMonitoringProgrammesTable8:InterestsinparticipationinCommunityMonitoringProgrammes,byrespondents

Atoll Island Bait fishery Reeffishery CoralReef Coralreefecosystem Terrestrialvegetation CoastalErosion

Noonu Manadhoo 8 25 33 33 58 75Noonu Velidhoo 0 0 10 20 40 60Noonu Kendhikolhudhu 0 18 27 45 64 27Noonu Holhudhoo 11 11 22 22 78 100Noonu IrufushiRaa Ungoofaaru 30 20 20 30 50 70Raa Meedhoo 36 36 45 55 64 82Raa Vaadhoo 15 8 23 15 46 69Raa Hulhudhufaaru 6 19 25 13 75 75Raa Alifushi 30 40 30 20 70 50Lhaviyani Naifaru 22 22 22 22 56 11Lhaviyani Hinnavaru 29 36 36 50 86 71Lhaviyani Kurendhoo 13 13 25 13 88 50

Documents

Baseline Assessment Report of MEMP