Compromising Reef Island shoreline dynamics: Legacies of the engineering paradigm in the maldives

Abstract

Located in the central Indian Ocean, the Maldives archipelago consists of 25 atolls and oceanic reef platforms that contain 1,200 low-lying reef islands. These islands are among the most dynamic landforms on earth. Island instability and the pressures of high population densities have resulted in the proliferation of engineered structures to combat erosion and maintain island shorelines. In many instances the introduction of hard-engineered structures has exacerbated island erosion and degraded ecological processes. Reasons for these negative environmental consequences relate to the appropriateness of the design and placement of these structures. The materials used and the mode of construction employed by many small island nations contravene most standard measures of sound engineering design. Sound design is also constrained by the absence of environmental information on local coastal processes (e.g. waves, currents). This paper summarizes field observations from the Maldives to highlight the natural dynamics of small island shorelines. Island dynamics are examined in light of standard engineering structures and shown to destabilize island landforms. Such physical responses necessitate reconsideration of classic concepts of island instability and erosion. As a result management solutions are often inappropriate with respect to natural coastal processes and dynamics of small island shorelines. It is proposed that island maintenance will be best achieved by ensuring that management solutions safeguard the integrity of natural geomorphic processes. This approach requires the replacement of the prevailing paradigm of islands as ‘static landforms’ with the recognition and incorporation in planning of each island’s natural dynamism. This approach places an emphasis on understanding the natural processes of small islands and provides new challenges for managers to seek planning alternatives to conventional ad hoc engineering solutions.