EPA Suspends Coastal Development Projects Amid Mass Coral Bleaching Event

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has suspended all major coastal development projects until the 10th of June, citing concerns over the ongoing mass coral bleaching event.

According to the latest forecast from America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Maldives has reached Alert Level 1, with some areas of the southern and northern atolls expected to reach Alert Level 2 within the next four weeks.

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In a statement released on Thursday, the EPA outlined its decision to take immediate measures to minimise stressors that could impede or delay the recovery of coral reefs.

The coral bleaching window for the Maldives is projected to span from March until the end of June, with the peak expected to occur from early May until early June, the EPA added.

As part of these measures, all major coastal development activities conducted with heavy machinery, including but not limited to dredging, land reclamation, beach nourishment, sand pumping, and the installation of pipelines or cables on the reef, will be suspended until the 10th of June.

The EPA stated that the work schedules of these projects and new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) applications will be adjusted to ensure that these activities are only carried out after the specified date.

Highlighting the importance of these measures, the EPA emphasised the need to mitigate the impacts of coral reef events attributed to global warming, in order to minimise adverse effects on the economy’s two pillars reliant on coral reefs: tourism and fisheries.

Coral bleaching events have become increasingly frequent since the first recorded event in 1998.