Did You Know ?

• Coral reefs are invaluable to the Fishing & Tourism industry.
• They protect the shoreline from storm damage.
• 60% of the world’s coral reefs are threatened due to human activity
• 1Km destruction of a coral reef is a loss of USD 137,000 to 1.2Mn over 25 years (Source: World Resource Institute)
• 90% of the energy a coral polyp needs comes from Symbiotic relationship and the other 10% comes from the polyp extending its tentacles to catch prey
• Coral reefs help manage carbon dioxide levels
• When there is a coral reef the sea bed is stable like preventing the sea bed from being washed out deeper.
• Coral reefs improve surrounding water quality by acting as a trap to things that float in water

Effects of El Nino 2016 and our Initiative

The extent of the 2016 bleaching, which also affected reefs in other parts of the Indian and Pacific Ocean, was so severe that it was subsequently named the ‘Third Global Coral Bleaching Event’.

With much of the coral having died due to this event. Artificial reef projects have become an invaluable tool for restoring reefs and nurturing them back to health. Seamarc developed an artificial reef system called coral frames.

To implement this ambitious initiative, Amaya Kuda Rah have partnered with Reefscapers, a marine consultancy company based in Malé who have developed “coral frames” to make it easier for us to help save the reefs

It is a unique coral propagation technique which has proved to be one of the most successful in the world.

How Coral Frames Work

The coral frames are produced on a local island in Baa atoll, and provide an alternative livelihood to the 250 inhabitants whose sole previous source of employment is fishing.

The majority of the coral frames will be placed on the resort’s house reef, to improve the overall health of the marine environment.

The coral from these frames may eventually grow onto the natural reef substrate and will improve the coral cover and form a barrier to better improve the marine habitat and increase the number of species of fish around the coral

The coral from these frames may eventually grow onto the natural reef substrate and therefore improve the coral cover and form a barrier to better improve the marine habitat and increase the number of fish species.

Corals Need Protection

Corals need protection from threatening forces such as pollution and global warming and here is how you can help.

Sponsored by the resort and our guests, the transplantation process involves attaching coral fragments onto a metal frame, which grow and mature into new colonies. The fragments are collected from broken natural reef corals, and later harvested from our own mature coral frames for the “second generation”. The proceeds from every frame go into an Environmental Fund to support the resort’s marine conservation research programs and local community environmental initiatives.

The growth rate is amazing! In just 2-3 weeks, the coral has attached itself onto the frame, and 2 months later, new coral growth is evident and fish have moved in! For every frame, we follow a strict monitoring process, taking regular photographs of the coral growth, and identifying the marine life that starts to colonise the frames. By propagating the most successful species, we are developing ever-more resistant coral offspring, better adapted to withstand higher sea water temperatures and so help the reefs in their fight against global warming.