Last resorts : a tour guide to territorial protection for the Republic of the Maldives

Abstract

A two meter rise in sea levels projected by the end of this century threatens the sovereignty of the Maldivian nation state. While flight from the Maldives to establish a new homeland elsewhere has been proposed, the culture and economy of this country is inextricably entrenched in its geophysical environment. Although the Maldives is known for super luxury resorts, the nation's government is poorly positioned to defend a population of 400,000 people spread across 1200 islands. This thesis proposes a strategy by which the international resort operator, an autonomous and independently funded entity, can be mobilized as an agent of coastal defense. Also investigated are issues of artificial reef ecology, defensive coastal infrastructures, and prefabricated composite construction and modularity.