Since 2009, personnel attached to Columbia University, International Research Institute, and Foundation for Environment Climate and Technology (FECT) has undertaken work in climate science, impacts, adaptation, and disaster risk management in the Maldives. Since 2011, we have been undertaking an operational monthly climate bulletin, which is circulated widely. Here, we summarize the last decade’s events, projects, programs, partnerships, personnel, and outputs. 

SUMMARY

FECT started working on climate-related projects in the Maldives back in 2009.  Formal registration of the Foundation for Environment, Climate, and Technology in the Maldives took place in 2018. 

We have demonstrated the use of hydro-climatic information with projects for water resources management, malaria and dengue risk assessment, and disaster risk management.

We have undertaken climatic diagnostics, climate prediction, hydro-climatic analysis, modeling, prediction, and climate change assessments.  

We have undertaken, website development, interactive map servers, and software development for scientific computation. We are developing high-performance computing and web services.

We have published in newspapers, scientific journals, magazines, the Internet, posters, newsletters, and books.

Staff working on our Maldives projects have obtained experience as researchers and provided IT services, administrative services, GIS, writing, and accounting services. Further in collaboration with the Maldives National University (and its forerunners), we partnered with the University of Peradeniya to launch a Master’s in Development Practice. This led to students from the Maldives taking the courses and Interns from the course undertaking work in the Maldives.

Our staff has obtained experience on the job training. One of them received the Master’s in Development Practice at the University of Peradeniya. We have conducted workshops for the Maldives National University, the Maldives Meteorological Service, Small Island Research Centre, Fares Human Improvement Society, Ministry of Environment. We have supported students who undertook the Bachelor of Environmental Management and IT in MNU with lectures and guidance on projects.

Our work has been funded through grants from the Office of Global Programs at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), MacArthur Foundation, Chicago, USA, US National Academy of Sciences (NAS), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the University of Colorado. We hope to sustain our work through new partnerships and projects. In later sections, we provide details on our climate adaptation projects, work on climate, hydrology and environment, science, environment and society, our partnerships, and staff, and a list of our outputs.

WORKSHOPS

Ministry of Environment, Maldives (2009)

  • Lareef Zubair presented a seminar on capacity-building programs for the Ministry of Environment at the invitation of the Minister of Environment. 

Climate and Water Security in the Maldives (September 2015)

  • Workshop on Climate and Water Security in the Maldives, at Maldives National University, Male, 13th September 2015. 
  1. Zubair, L., “Introduction to the Workshop and Welcome”. 
  2. Agalawatte, P., “The Monthly Climate Advisory from FECT/MMS/IRI: Monitoring Weather and Climate for Maldives”. 
  3. Zubair, L., “Climate Science for the Maldives in Relation to Water Scarcity”.

GIS and Climate (May 2016)

  • Zubair & P. Wickremagamage participated in the student workshop on GIS and Climate at the Maldives National University.