"Vulnerable island nation split over project to dredge millions of tonnes of sand to create land for resorts and industry on Unesco reserve"
"A controversial project to reclaim land on an atoll threatened by rising sea levels has been announced in the Maldives, with hopes that it may boost tourism balanced against fears that it could “choke the ecosystem”.
The low-lying island nation, one of the world’s most vulnerable to climate change, has commissioned a major shore protection and land reclamation scheme using sand dredged from a lagoon, despite concerns about the impact on this Unesco biosphere reserve.
A Dutch marine contractor, Van Oord, has announced it will create 194 hectares (480 acres) of land, including three new island resorts, in the southern atoll of Addu City – part of a Maldives government project to stimulate the local economy, tackle land shortage and protect the coastline. The scheme will reportedly cost $147.1m (£117m) and be funded via an Indian bank.
According to Van Oord, up to 5m cubic metres of sand will be dredged from a lagoon in the middle of the six islands, which are home to at least 20,000 people. Other estimates put the amount of sand to be removed at 6.9m cubic metres."
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