June 7th: A day when Eydhafushi Island in the Maldives is going to experience a real hub of marine conservation, when
Royal Island Maldives takes the opportunity of organising a major reef cleaning event in conjunction with Baa Atoll committee and Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve. This effort is certainly one of the well-felt and crucial parts of the World Oceans Day celebrations, which clearly manifests a strong commitment to protect the fragile marine environment of the Baa Atoll region.
The event is being organized by Dive Oceanus, the dive center at Royal Island Maldives, and is estimated to bring in more than 120 participants: locals and divers. The primary aim of it will be an overall cleanup of the reef and the ambient area around it, free of rubbish and waste polluting the marine ecosystem. Cooperative action should reflect community engagement with approaches in marine conservation.
It is expected that qualified divers from several dive centers affiliated with neighboring resorts and local islands will handle the cleanup activity underwater. These individuals would clear the debris from the reef while being careful not to damage the complex ecosystems that nurture this diversity in marine life. Concomitantly, students of the Eydhafushi School Environment Club will oversee the beach clean-up and waste sorting operation. This not only serves the purpose of physical cleaning but also teaches the young minds about environmental issues.
The main stakeholders of this event are Eydhafushi Council, Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve, Eydhafushi Police, and the Eydhafushi School. The favorable outcome of this event would greatly rely on the joint support of these key stakeholders. Parley Maldives, being one of the most important organization that advocates for environmental protection, would support this event since it is providing collection bags for the planned collection and removal of debris, thus maximizing efficiency in clean-up efforts.
This forms part of a more current and larger commitment by Royal Island and its parent company, Villa Resorts, to responsible tourism and environmentally conscious stewardship. Since its inception, Villa Resorts has been a leader in going green across its properties. The commitment to sustainability by the resort chain is also visible from their attempts to conserve energy as well as water, take out single-use plastics, and become carbon neutral at all of its resorts. These developments have awarded Villa Resorts multiple recognitions and accolades and have placed the company as a true and established leader within the Maldives in sustainable tourism.
It comprises the stylish and luxurious Villa Park, picturesque by its setting over a lagoon; the stylishly cosmopolitan
Villa Nautica; and the secluded Royal Island, which all represent the responsible commitment to the environment combined with high-quality hospitality. Villa Resorts is looking to further this excellence with Villa Haven, one of its flagship luxury resorts, promising to set new standards for eco-friendly high-end tourism.
However, the reef cleaning event on Eydhafushi Island has not only highlighted the need to conserve the marine environment but also demonstrated the power of joint efforts in attaining environmental goals. Acting as a model for future conservation projects to be implemented and serving to strengthen the reputation of Maldives as a country executing sustainable tourism, joining local communities, tourists, and conservation organizations in one initiative was possible.
