The Maldives exist thanks to coral: without the reef there would be neither the islands nor the life around them. That's why we support the people who are rebuilding it, one fragment at a time.
It all began in 2007 in Villimalé, Kaafu Atoll: a group of young local surfers decided they could no longer stand by while their beach was choked with rubbish and the reef was dying after the harbour was built. That spontaneous movement gave rise to Save The Beach Maldives, which in 2014 became one of the country's leading environmental NGOs.
Behind it all is Hassan “Beybe” Ahmed, the organisation's founder and driving force. A conservationist ever since he noticed as a boy that the reef in front of his home was disappearing, Beybe has led every one of the association's activities: from beach clean-ups to coral nurseries, from training young islanders to scientific monitoring projects.
Today the most important work is reef regeneration: coral fragments are grown in the Villimalé nursery and then transplanted onto structures placed on the seabed, where they grow back into a true garden. It's a method — micro-fragmentation, and more recently the Reef Stars developed with Mars and SHEBA — that allows the reef to recover where it had been destroyed.
From building the structures to the community that looks after them.
How a coral garden is born: building the structures and transplanting the fragments, one step at a time.
A day's work underwater in a nutshell: the team, the tools and the new structures placed on the seabed.
Why coral is the lifeblood of the Maldives: a healthy reef means islands, fish and a future.
It's not just biology: it's the island's people taking care of their own sea, together.
Blu Lodge guests can take part: we'll take you to see the nursery, explain how transplanting works and — if you like — you can adopt a coral fragment and leave something alive behind you. Just ask us when you book.
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