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Explore forward-thinking islands on the
front lines of climate changeThe first nation to champion the need
to address climate change in the
United Nations General Assembly, in
1987, the Maldives is an environmental
protection trailblazer. For the idyllic,
1,200-island archipelago in the Indian
Ocean, forward-thinking sustainability
initiatives—such as the effort to be
carbon neutral by 2020—are a matter
of survival. According to the Intergov-
ernmental Panel on Climate Change,
much of the Maldives—which is the
lowest-lying country on the planet
(average elevation: five feet) and whose
territory is about 99 percent water—
could disappear in decades due to rising
sea levels caused by global warming.
The 540-square-mile UNESCO Baa
Atoll Biosphere Reserve helps protect
the Maldives’ fragile coral reefs, which
support a high diversity of coral, fish,
and bird species, as well as sea turtles,
whale sharks, and other marine life.
Visitors can promote reef health
by joining in ocean-bed cleaning
efforts or coral gardening programs
organized by resorts.BLUE LAGOONS
VISITMALDIVES
NATUREHOW TO GO
Environmental protection
practices are common
at many of the Maldives’
resorts, including Soneva
Fushi, which recycles
90 percent of its waste;
Soneva Jani, built
entirely with sustainable
materials; and St. Regis
Maldives Vommuli, which
helps regenerate reefs.WHEN
TO GOINDIAN
OCEANINDIAN
OCEANASIAFEB-
MAR
The Maldives
is home to
one of the
largest known
populations of
reef mantas in
the world.BEST TRIPS 20 20