Land Made New or Life Undone?
SAFER Project – Strengthening Activism for Environmental Rights
Supported by the European Union, this blog series by Land Sea Maldives marks the beginning of an investigation into the hidden costs of environmental damage, how these affect island livelihoods, and where potential growth opportunities may be found. This is piece explores how coastal development and land reclamation in the Maldives link environment, jobs and community futures.
Introduction
To accommodate population growth, tourism expansion and climate-adaptation ambitions, the Maldives is increasingly turning to land reclamation and coastal development.¹ On the surface this seems like growth: more land, more infrastructure, more jobs. Yet beneath the promise lie hidden costs: damage to reefs and ecosystems, loss of natural defences, and impacts on livelihoods tied to those natural systems. The question is: when land is made new, whose life is undone?
Coastal Development, Environmental Impact & Livelihoods
The creation of new land—by dredging sand from lagoons, filling in reef flats, reclaiming mangrove zones—affects natural systems that sustain island livelihoods. Research indicates that such development in the Maldives has led to significant reef loss, mangrove removal and increased flood risk.²
Key linkages:
Dredging and reclamation degrade coral reefs and seagrass beds which support fish stocks, coastal protection and tourism-marine services.³
Loss of natural buffers (reefs, mangroves) makes islands more vulnerable to storms and erosion, which increases costs for repair and threatens island-based businesses (fishing, tourism).²
New land often serves high-investment sectors (resorts, urban expansion) while local communities may lose access to traditional livelihood zones, freshwater supply or coastal areas.¹
Hidden Costs & Growth Trade-Offs
While reclaimed land may signal progress, the hidden costs for local livelihoods are real:
Fisher and coastal harvesting families may see reduced catch or habitat loss when lagoons are altered or reefs buried.³
Tourism and guest-house income may decline if coastal and marine assets degrade or beach access is compromised.
Infrastructure costs rise: flood defences, erosion mitigation, relocation of households—all absorbing resources that might otherwise support local enterprise growth.²
Growth “on new land” might favour external investors and bypass local small-businesses, reducing community benefits.¹
Paths to Inclusive Growth
If land-making is inevitable, development must be aligned with livelihood protection and growth-oriented planning:
Conduct full environmental and social impact assessments (EIAs) that include community livelihoods and not just engineering metrics.²
Integrate coastal development with local employment: land-reclamation projects should include training, local contractors, community supply-chains, and livelihood transition programmes.
Restore or preserve natural defences (reefs, mangroves, seagrass) alongside development so livelihood-support systems remain intact.³
Questions for Island-Level Inquiry
Has your island or neighbouring island experienced land-reclamation, dredging or coastal fill? What changes in livelihoods (fishing, tourism, agriculture) have locals noted?
Are natural coastal/marine habitats (reef flats, seagrass beds, mangroves) being removed or altered for the development? How has this affected local fishers, sea-food gathering, or beach-based tourism?
Does the new land development include local jobs, local supply-chains and livelihood-benefits for island residents—or are most benefits going to external investors?
Are natural coastal protection features being respected or replaced (reefs, mangroves)? Is there local consultation and monitoring of livelihood impacts?
Conclusion
Land reclamation and coastal development in the Maldives are double-edged. On one hand, they promise growth, infrastructure and adaptation; on the other, they may undermine environment-based livelihoods, impose hidden costs and weaken local enterprise. Under the SAFER Project’s investigative lens we explore: development → environmental change → livelihood cost or opportunity. The challenge is ensuring that “land made new” does not mean lives undone, and that growth truly reaches island communities.
References
Human Rights Watch. (2023, October 17). We still haven’t recovered: Local communities harmed by reclamation projects in the Maldives. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/17/we-still-havent-recovered-local-communities-harmed-reclamation-projects-maldives ¹
Chase-Lubitz, J. (2024, May 18). The Maldives is racing to create new land. Why are so many people concerned? Pulitzer Center. https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/maldives-racing-create-new-land-why-are-so-many-people-concerned ²
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2023). “Land reclamation and coastal protection structures negatively impact coastal and marine ecosystems, including reefs and mangroves…” In Sixth Assessment Report. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/ ³
