Reclaiming an archipelago? Land reclamation in the not-so-vanishing Maldives

Abstract

For decades, the Maldives have been described as islands doomed to disappear due to climate change and resulting rising sea levels. Promoted in the international arena by high-level politicians and academics, the vanishing islands narrative has gained popularity among the public. This, however, is not what is currently taking place. Rather than vanishing, the Maldives are being actively reshaped and factually enlarged through active and intensified land reclamation, which involves expanding existing islands and creating new artificial ones. Various reasons are given to justify this process, including a need for space to create residential areas, transport infrastructures, and tourism resorts. In addition, as a tool for “material resilience” building, land reclamation creates spaces that are presented as a means of adapting to climate change. Drawing on long-term participant observation, visual analysis and secondary sources, this paper raises questions about this form of material resilience building. While it raises some islands higher above sea level and creates new spaces and economic opportunities, it simultaneously damages reef ecosystems, alters island functions, exacerbates social and economic inequalities and threatens the ecological, social and cultural systems that are fundamental to tourism attractiveness.