Expedition 1: Coral Reef Assessment from HA to Laamu atoll

Speaking at the 74^th UN General Assembly in New York last September, His Excellency President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said, “A stunning 99% of the Maldives is ocean, just 1% is dry land – making us a very large ocean state… We can conceive no climate and resilience plan without a sustainable ocean plan”.

His Excellency reiterated his statements at the Assembly at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Blue Prosperity Coalition, a global partnership that works to broaden ocean protection. Showcasing the government’s firm commitment to supporting the nation’s blue economy with the development of a comprehensive marine spatial plan that would account for sustainable use, local livelihoods and be backed up by robust scientific research and analysis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid signed the MOU, on behalf of the government.

To support this endeavour, scientists from the Maldives Marine Research Institute [MMRI] and the Blue Prosperity Coalition, with consultation from relevant environmental stakeholders, have been working in conjunction to develop a series of expeditions that would identify and assess the nation’s offshore and nearshore marine habitats and resources. These expeditions would constitute a sound scientific foundation for the national marine spatial plan.

With a formal send off by the Minister for Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture Zaha Waheed which echoed the importance of understanding our marine ecosystems and resources and the need to have science backing the management of these resources for future generations, the first of this series of expeditions began the 9^th of January. Split into two legs, a team comprised of scientists from MMRI and the Blue Prosperity Coalition, will first run a Northern loop from surveying the reefs between North Male and Haa Alif atoll. A Southern focussed second loop surveying reefs between South Male’ and Laamu atoll will run beginning the end of the northern loop. This expedition aims to better understand the current health and condition of our coral reef resources by assessing the benthos including corals and invertebrates, fish assemblages, and water quality.

Currently planned expeditions for the year include an expedition assessing the reef habitats of our southernmost atolls and an expedition surveying sea mounts and deep-sea habitats.

You can follow the progress of current and future expeditions along with related scientific work with the hashtag #KanduFalhuDhiraasaa and all Blue Prosperity Coalition related work the hashtag #NooRaajje.