Local Expert Perceptions of Creeping Environmental Changes and Responses in Maldives

Abstract For the last several decades, low-elevation islands have been highlighted as being at the forefront of facing the impact of creeping environmental changes, notably from human-caused climate change. The islands’ low elevation, including in the Indian Ocean, has led to considering migration due to coastal erosion, sea-level rise, acidifying oceans, salinity intrusion, and changes in monsoon patterns and hence rainfall. Maldives is experiencing such creeping environmental changes which are often stated as being key factors affecting Maldivian society, livelihoods, and futures. Evidence from Maldivians, however, is that they perceive future sea-level rise to be a serious challenge at the national level, but rarely accept it as a local difficulty requiring action. Migration from their islands to other countries might be a potential option, especially when combined with other reasons for relocating, but they generally prefer to stay and adjust to all ongoing changes. Within this context, this paper reports field research from August 2013 in the capital Malé and nearby residential islands, using qualitative interviews with fifteen local experts. The results suggest that, besides a set of actually experienced changes, creeping environmental changes are perceived as being one of the important factors affecting Maldivian society and livelihoods. The results and interpretation, including in the context of major changes from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, identify some dissonance in understandings of possible impacts and resultant actions, in terms of recognising what might happen to the country yet not fully considering the action-related implications.