London - The Republic of Maldives, known to most as a holiday paradise in the Indian Ocean, will set aside a proportion of its annual tourism revenue to buy land as an insurance policy against climate change, its president-elect has said.

Mohamed Nasheed, due to be sworn in Tuesday, told Britain's Guardian newspaper that the chain of 1,200 islands and coral atolls 800 kilometres from the southern tip of India was likely to disappear if climate change continued at the current pace.

He said a gradual rise in sea levels caused by global warming means the 300,000 Maldives islanders may eventually be forced to resettle elsewhere.

"We can do nothing to stop climate change on our own so we have to buy land elsewhere. It's an insurance policy for the worst possible outcome. After all, the Israelis
(began by buying) land in Palestine," said Nasheed in the interview published Monday.

The United Nations (UN) forecasts the seas are likely to rise by up to 60 centimetres this century, said the report. Most part of the Maldives are 1.5 metres above water.

"We do not want to leave the Maldives, but we also do not want to become climate refugees living in tents for decades," Nasheed said. (dpa)