Maldives Velassaru recently launched its new Velassaru Coral Project, which will allow guests to stay within a marine conservation area and support the rehabilitation of coral and encouragement of marine biodiversity. It allows guests an involvement in the hands-on building of an artificial reef; therefore, taking guests through a more personal connection with the environment during their stay.
In the campaign, visitors also purchase an enclosure of coral packed with pieces of coral gathered and tied individually by Velassaru's in-house marine team. A personalized plaque is included with every frame so that participants can take a piece of the time spent at the Maldives resort back home. Guests are given periodic images and videos detailing the growth and progress of their corals for the next two years.
It is educationally committed by Velassaru. It teaches its visitors regarding the coral reefs and the importance of serving both the marine life and the community. While it occupies only a minute fraction of space compared to that of the floor in the ocean, the coral reefs sustain 25% of all the species that exist in the ocean. It gives shelter as well as food to many fish, invertebrates, and other sea creatures.
Other visitors will be professional and amateur divers who will be taken on dives by knowledgeable guides who will explain to them the dynamics of coral regeneration within the throbbing marine ecosystem around the reef.
A new feature of this artificial reef is "The Dome," a 4-by-6-meter structure set 10 meters under the water. It was sunk on 12 September 2024; it's an easy dive site that Velassaru's guests can explore and steward. During the dives, the guests are invited to study the health of the corals; on them, they have been attaching cut fragments secured with zip ties and fishing line.
The Velassaru Coral Project will also enable the collection of required information from the project besides developing guest experiences. Every dive into the artificial reef accounts for health corals through itemized color, size, and species of the observed corals. Regular surveys are also conducted to monitor environmental factors including temperature and water quality as a rise by two degrees leads to coral bleaching. The team is also responsible for continuous prevalence monitoring of common coral diseases, white syndrome, and pests that affect corals' health.
Often seen swimming around the small reefs not too far from the artificial site, the team at Velassaru hopes to see more normal shark activity with the coral and fish populations growing. Sharks are quite crucial to this delicate balance and health and diversity of surrounding reefs inasmuch as they act as predators.
All data collected in the Velassaru Coral Project will be uploaded into the global database known as Coral Watch, therefore providing information concerning the state of the coral reefs and all that is being preserved. Contributions like that help reefs regain health in the Maldives and contribute generally to research and preservation globally.
This will enable Velassaru Maldives to, in an integrated approach, provide the support for the growth of coral and biodiversity of the marine environment along with an educative experience for all its visitors. In this way, both of them will contribute to a sustainable future for the oceans.
