Reef surveys taken in January 2020 by the Maldives Coral Institute (MCI) in collaboration with Save The Beach Maldives (STBM) showed a highly diverse coral community on the shallow reef flat along the northern side of the island of Fulhadhoo, in Baa atoll, boasting over a 100 species of coral within a 500m2 area, representing almost half of all species found in the Maldives.
The corals appeared to have survived through multiple bleaching events, as well as repetitive total exposure during low tides. This indicates a coral assemblage that has high resilience to thermal stress. In a warming world, where coral reefs are under severe threat of loss and degradation, resilient coral such as those in the reef in Fulhadhoo could act as a seed source to repopulate more vulnerable areas that have high levels of mortality during the increasingly frequent and intense coral bleaching events predicted for the near future.
However, the construction of a harbour at the northern side of the island in early 2020, including the reclamation of an island on the reef flat, caused direct destruction to the coral reef, as well as indirect impacts from the engulfment of sediment plumes and disruption of water flow which led to warmer water on the reef flat. The combination of these effects led to severe degradation and mass death of corals. Given the evidence of coral thermal resilience on Fulhadhoo house reef, and the significance of the extent of damage to the reef, the MCI took action to restore the degraded reef.
The multi-stage project to restore the reef, which started in 2021, is supported by MARS Corporation, who’s philanthropic arm has extensive experience in restoring coral reefs, and has successfully regenerated over 40,000 m2 of reef in the Coral Triangle.
The proffered technique being used in Fulhadhoo is called the Mars Assisted Restoration System (MARRS) — a low technology, community-based restoration system that is capable of rapidly rebuilding reefs in a relatively short period of time. Reefs known to be thermally resilient can be deployed alongside those corals that have demonstrated past resistance to produce a system that may be better equipped to deal with future stressors.
The community is at the heart of the project, and MCI works with the Island Council and members of the island community to help develop and carry out a sustainable process for the rebuilding and maintaining the island’s coral reef.
To carry out the project, we collaborate with others in the ocean and science community; Save the Beach Maldives, Maldives National University, and diving schools Fehurihi Dive from Fulhadhoo and Kamadhoo Dive from Baa Kamadhoo Island.
A video highlighting Phase I pilot of this project can be seen here.
After the successful pilot phase, Phase II was carried out in August 2022, after which monitoring and maintenance activities, as well as multiple research activities including bleaching, reef acoustics, and spawning studies, are continuously being carried out at the site into 2025.
The project has shown remarkable success, with over 400 m2 of reef grown representing 32 species of coral, marking a 40.24% increase in coral cover and 730.77% increase in fish abundance within 2 years. The increase in fish biodiversity, with species representing multiple trophic levels with different ecological roles, suggests enhanced ecosystem function. These results are a testament to the efficacy of the MARRS method, highlighting its significance as a model for sustainable reef restoration and community empowerment, ultimately contributing to the preservation of vital marine ecosystems for future generations.
