The Maldives

In Extreme Conservation, presenter Michaela Strachan travels the world meeting people battling the effects of climate change, who are intervening in extreme ways to save species or entire ecosystems.

In this edition, Michaela is in the Maldives, which is facing an existential challenge from global warming. Its picture-postcard sand islands are literally being washed from the map. Research teams from around the world have been invited in to work with local scientists, to try to quickly develop solutions before it is too late, and she meets those behind some of the more ambitious projects. Coral reefs are key to protecting the islands from storms and surges, but as the oceans warm, they are being killed off by coral bleaching. Scientists in the Maldives are trying different techniques to resurrect the reefs, from the use of electricity to promote growth to the search for more resilient species.

As tourism and the population of the Maldives continue to grow, more land is needed for development. Traditionally, new islands are created by sand dredging, which can be highly damaging for marine life. Michaela meets the local scientists working with MIT in Boston, who are testing a new way of 'growing islands', harnessing the forces of nature, rather than machines. The Maldives finds itself on the frontline of climate change, but as Michaela finds out, if the research here is successful, it could also help other coastal nations and regions around the world.