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

This case study documents the climate-induced loss and damage experienced by the community of Kunburudhoo Island in the Maldives, focusing on beach erosion, groundwater salinization, and the limitations of community-led mitigation efforts.

• Kunburudhoo Island has suffered significant beach erosion that threatens critical infrastructure, including homes, public water tanks, and the island office. This erosion was exacerbated by the 1989 construction of a jetty and the cutting of an entrance channel in the reef, both of which occurred without Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). While the government funded a fortification structure on the eastern side of the island, the construction of the harbour led to reef dredging and the loss of the beach.
• Groundwater on the island has become salty and contaminated over a 20-year period due to sea swells, reduced freshwater, and increased extraction for household use. This has created an acute potable water shortage, forcing residents to buy bottled water for drinking and use rainwater for cooking. The salinity also causes physical damage to washing machines and causes rust.
• Climate impacts have disrupted local agriculture and cultural traditions. Salinization has made it difficult to grow traditional crops like breadfruit and banana, leading to a reliance on fertilisers and pot-planting. The loss of breadfruit trees specifically interrupted the cultural tradition of sending fried breadfruit to family members.
• The community has attempted to mitigate erosion and salinization by planting approximately 250 coconut trees and sea lettuce trees, particularly in low-elevation areas between the mosque and the harbour. While these efforts have reduced the impact of sea swells, the small size of the island and land constraints limit the effectiveness of these measures.
• The document argues that vulnerable communities in the Maldives are often overlooked by international institutes because GDP per capita is used as the primary indicator of a country's resilience to climate change.

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} }