Maldives to be Featured in The First Episode of BBC’s Extreme Conversation
Saturday 4th of June 2022
Extreme Conservation, which will air on BBC World News and BBC Reel in June, follows BBC wildlife and conservation presenter Michaela Strachan as she travels the world meeting individuals fighting against the extinction of species or even entire habitats, telling the extraordinary stories of their fight against the odds to help us all. Michaela investigates the existential threat that this stunning island nation faces in the first episode, 'The Maldives,' as these sandy islands are literally being washed off the map.
Michaela travels across the Maldives meeting those working to save it, focusing on technology being developed to support coral reefs, game-changing solutions in development to combat the effects of land reclamation, and, of course, resorts' efforts to promote sustainable tourism.
“'I had such an amazing trip to the Maldives. This is a country that's facing head on, the devastating effects of climate change. Effects that are very real and very immediate.” Sharing her insights on her recent travel is Micheala. “I met conservationists and scientists who are coming up with exciting and pioneering projects, creative minds that are thinking out of the box. It was incredibly inspiring to see bright individuals working together to come up with solutions. It really gave me hope for the future of these beautiful islands.”
Coral reefs are critical in dissipating the ocean's increasing wave energy, but they are constantly attacked by bleaching. Michaela meets the Coral Institute team on the island of Fulhadoo, who are researching how to make the reefs more resilient and developing techniques to regrow the reefs.
Their work is done in collaboration with a number of eminent international marine environment researchers from the United Kingdom, Palau, and Australia. They advise on and learn from the institute's work, and they apply any findings elsewhere. Michaela then travels to Summer Island to dive with Arjan Sierink, a Dutch researcher who pioneered techniques for 3D printing coral reefs in various materials to encourage rapid growth.
Land Reclamation - Michaela meets a group of MIT researchers who are working on a game-changing alternative to the traditional sand dredging technique for land reclamation. They demonstrate the dangers of such processes and introduce her to their technology, which harnesses the power of nature rather than using machines to collect sand to form new islands.
Sustainable Tourism - Tourism, of course, is the country's economic lifeblood, but it is not known for its sustainability credentials. Following that, Michaela delves into a forward-thinking resort founded by Sonu Shivdasani to see how they promote sustainable tourism in the Maldives. Sonu has worked hard to reduce the carbon footprint of his Sonevafushi resort. The resort is working hard to support sustainable tourism by using almost no plastic and turning any waste it produces into souvenirs for its visitors to take home.
Tune in to BBC World News and BBC Reel or BBC Wildlife at 1:30pm on June 11th or 1:30am on June 12th, Maldivian time, to catch the Extreme Conversations – The Maldives!