Voices of Vulnerability and Effort: Kunburudhoo Island’s Experience with Climate Change-Induced Loss and Damage

Kunburudhoo Island in the Maldives faces severe climate-induced loss and damage, primarily through beach erosion and groundwater salinization. Erosion has threatened critical infrastructure, including the island office and homes, while salinization has created an acute potable water shortage and hindered the growth of traditional crops like banana and breadfruit. Community members have attempted to mitigate these impacts by planting approximately 250 coconut trees and sea lettuce trees to stabilize the soil and create buffers against wind and waves. However, the document notes that these local efforts are limited by the island's small size and that international resilience indicators, such as GDP per capita, often cause such vulnerable communities to be overlooked for support.

• Beach erosion on Kunburudhoo Island has threatened essential infrastructure, including homes, public water tanks, and the island office. A 2009 report warned that without immediate mitigation, the easternmost houses would be lost. While the government funded a fortification structure on the eastern side, previous community attempts using cement-filled jumbo bags were ineffective.
• Groundwater on the island has become salty and contaminated over a 20-year period due to sea swells, reduced freshwater, and high extraction rates. This has caused an acute shortage of potable water, forcing residents to buy bottled water for drinking and use rainwater for cooking. The saline water also causes rust and damages washing machines.
• Salinization and land constraints have impacted local agriculture and culture. Traditional crops such as breadfruit and banana no longer grow easily, leading to a reliance on fertilizers and pot-planting. The loss of breadfruit trees has specifically interrupted the cultural tradition of sharing fried breadfruit with family members.
• The community has implemented nature-based solutions to combat erosion, including planting about 250 coconut trees and sea lettuce trees. These efforts aim to strengthen the soil and provide a buffer against wind and waves to protect buildings, as the lack of such buffers previously led to school roofs being blown away.
• The document argues that the use of GDP per capita by international institutions as a measure of climate resilience leads to the neglect of vulnerable communities in countries like the Maldives.

APA

Shumais, M. (2023). Voices of Vulnerability and Effort: Kunburudhoo Island’s Experience with Climate Change-Induced Loss and Damage. Global Resilience Partnership. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/voices-of-vulnerability-and-effort-kunburudhoo-islands-experience-with-climate-change-induced-loss-and-damage/

Chicago

Shumais, Mohamed. Voices of Vulnerability and Effort: Kunburudhoo Island’s Experience with Climate Change-Induced Loss and Damage. Global Resilience Partnership, 2023. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/voices-of-vulnerability-and-effort-kunburudhoo-islands-experience-with-climate-change-induced-loss-and-damage/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shumais |first1=Mohamed |title=Voices of Vulnerability and Effort: Kunburudhoo Island’s Experience with Climate Change-Induced Loss and Damage |publisher=Global Resilience Partnership |date=30 May 2023 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/voices-of-vulnerability-and-effort-kunburudhoo-islands-experience-with-climate-change-induced-loss-and-damage/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shumais2023voices, author = {Shumais, Mohamed}, title = {{Voices of Vulnerability and Effort: Kunburudhoo Island’s Experience with Climate Change-Induced Loss and Damage}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/voices-of-vulnerability-and-effort-kunburudhoo-islands-experience-with-climate-change-induced-loss-and-damage/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }