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Anantara takes holistic approach to reef protection in the Maldives
Maldives.net.mv – For over 15 years the team at Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas has been committed to protecting the local environment, communities and culture around each of its hotels and resorts whilst creating authentic, luxury travel experiences and indigenous adventures for modern travellers. With four luxury resorts in the Maldives – Anantara Kihavah Villas, Anantara Dhigu Resort, Anantara Veli Resort and Naladhu Maldives – guests can take their pick from some of the best locations and experiences in the Indian Ocean, including getting up close and personal with the local marine life and vibrant coral reefs, snorkelling with manta rays in a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, free diving with whale sharks or cruising the house reef 18 metres below the surface, just a few strokes out from the shoreline.
In line with the luxury hospitality brand’s philosophy that environmental responsibility begins at home, the Anantara team in the Maldives joined forces with marine biologists from Coral Reef CPR – conservationists, biologists and ecologists whose mission is to reduce threats and promote sustainable management and rehabilitation of reef ecosystems – in October 2015 to develop ways to protect the coral ahead of the anticipated environmental stresses of El Niño, a climate cycle that has a global impact on weather patterns.
Led by Chief Scientist, Dr. Andrew Bruckner, the pioneering five-year programme, Holistic Approach to Reef Protection or ‘HARP’, encompasses practical environmental protection and marine education with the goal of limiting potential damage to the reefs in the Maldives and ensuring the coral reefs continue to not only survive, but to thrive. As well as Anantara taking its responsibility to the local environment very seriously, the programme will also ensure that guests at each resort – as well as the local community – can continue to enjoy the spectacular world beneath the waterline for many years to come.
Corals in the Maldives
Extending across the expansive Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is a country of atolls; small coral islands encircled by azure lagoons. Unique to the Maldives, luxury resorts are the sole occupants of each island, providing a truly private and unique experience. Coral reefs beneath the shimmering waters of the Maldives protect the pristine beaches and guard the crystal-clear lagoons. They also support an astounding array of tropical fish, crustaceans and bizarre-looking molluscs. But for all of its beauty and apparent resilience, coral is a sensitive organism, vulnerable to extreme weather, sudden environmental changes, the effects of global climate change, as well as outbreaks of coral predators.
Principal investigator and lead scientist with Coral Reef CPR, Dr. Andrew Bruckner, explains: “Some reefs in the Maldives are experiencing unusually high water temperatures which is causing coral bleaching. These coral animals contain symbiotic single-celled algae within their tissues, which provide the coral with up to 90% of its energy. Once stressed, the coral expels these algae, causing them to turn completely white. If algae loss is prolonged and the stress continues, corals can die. But it’s not all doom and gloom, when a coral turns white, it is not dead and if the stress-caused bleaching is not severe, coral can recover.”
Director of Conservation for Minor Hotels, John Roberts, elaborates further: “On their first visit in October 2015 the visiting marine biologists performed a major Crown of Thorns Starfish removal from the reefs surrounding Anantara resorts in South Male Atoll. In the process, the scientists helped save a great reef on Anantara Veli Resort, which is now also proving most resilient to current bleaching. As part of those efforts last year, Coral Reef CPR and Anantara have produced a manual to distribute throughout the country outlining best practice should there be another Crown of Thorns Starfish outbreak.”
Taking A Holistic Approach To Reef Protection (HARP)
In collaborating with leading experts in their fields for ground-breaking marine biology research, Anantara is pioneering the HARP programme. Currently all project work undertaken in the Maldives by Coral Reef CPR for HARP is funded by the Anantara initiative ‘Dollars For Deeds’, whereby Anantara guests are invited to donate one dollar for each night of their stay, which is then matched dollar for dollar by Minor Hotels. Dollars for Deeds funds raised in the Maldives are committed over the coming five years to three key focus areas: protection of marine and coastal environments; environmental education; and community welfare.
In January this year, Coral Reef CPR returned to the Maldives for the first of four monitoring phases throughout 2016. Ten monitoring stations were set up on coral reefs surrounding Anantara resorts in South Male Atoll and Baa Atoll, with the purpose of evaluating the water conditions and marine populations before, during and post 2016 El Niño phenomena. Already widely reported by international media across the globe as being the longest El Niño on record, during Coral Reef CPR’s second visit to the Maldives in April this year, promising results have been extracted from the monitoring stations, despite some alarming findings.
“Since the beginning of March, temperatures on the reef have exceeded 30°C and they remained above 31°C during April, reaching 32 – 33 °C in lagoonal environments,” explains Dr. Andrew Bruckner. “Under normal conditions, sea water temperatures should be 3-4 degrees cooler at depth but these high temperatures are extending beyond 35 metres depth. These high water temperatures are due to an unprecedented El Niño event which is now in its second year. Simultaneously the sea has been unusually calm which has allowed excessive levels of UV light radiation to penetrate the reefs.”
“Due to stressful conditions corals in some areas in the Maldives began to pale in colour at the beginning of April and several sensitive species bleached white. By mid-April between 60-80% of corals on the reef we were monitoring were fully bleached or a very light yellow in colour.
In certain shallow lagoonal environments bleaching was much more severe, and sensitive corals were affected. On a positive note, by the end of April temperatures on Baa Atoll had begun to decline and there was very little coral mortality on the outer reefs.”
SUPER CORALS
Through this research some surprising and exciting revelations have been discovered. Georgia Coward, Project Manager and Fishery Biologist with Coral Reef CPR said: “Although the level of bleaching is similar to that reported during previous El Niño events and is comparable to reports from other countries, we have observed a number of colonies of each species that have proven resistant to changing conditions, possibly by producing protective fluorescent pigments. Similarly certain colonies have not bleached at all despite being located adjacent to corals of the same species that bleached severely. We refer to these as “super corals” and feel that these may have adapted to elevated sea temperatures. Over the coming months we will be analysing extracts taken from the super corals and other coral species in laboratory conditions, as well as looking closely at the fish population reports surrounding them.”
SUSTAINABILITY
In line with Anantara’s commitment to sustainability and a result of the luxury hospitality brand’s ongoing conservation efforts including the HARP project, Anantara Kihavah Villas, Anantara Dhigu Resort, Anantara Veli Resort and Naladhu have all been awarded with Green Growth Certification, an assessment framework for the travel and tourism industy which consists of 37 criteria and 406 indicators. It is based on global standards and international conventions including the UN Global Compact and the UNEP Green Economy Principles.
FUTURE VISITS
Since 2011, guests staying at Anantara resorts in South Male Atoll and Baa Atoll have been able to leave a lasting legacy by participating in coral reef propagation programmes and contribute to the ongoing conservation effort by adopting a coral frame and planting it with the guidance of Anantara’s resident marine biologists. The HARP programme now builds on those initial efforts, with a high level scientific-based practical approach to reef assessment, regeneration and community science.
The third and fourth phases of the HARP Programme with Anantara involve creating a coral nursery to assist in the rehabilitation of degraded and damaged reefs. Through coral mariculture, when the scientists return in July and October 2016, small branches from the identified super corals will be extracted and propagated. Once matured, these corals will be transplanted back on to the reef.
During the visits from Coral Reef CPR scientists, guests at the Anantara resorts in both South Male Atoll and Baa Atoll can enhance their diving and snorkelling experiences by joining the marine biologists on their excursions, and participate in Anantara’s endeavours to keep the reefs healthy and vibrant for generations to enjoy.
Future visits from Dr. Andrew Bruckner, Georgia Coward and other Coral Reef CPR scientists are set for the end of July until mid-August 2016 and October 2016. To select your Anantara Dhigu, Anantara Veli, Anantara Kihavah Villas or Naladhu Maldives experience and to help play a part in the protection and regeneration of coral reefs in the Maldives, visit anantara.com
At Eri Maldives, becoming begins with experiences that invite guests to see the island differently, and art has always offered one of the most powerful ways in.
The resort welcomed Maldivian artist Ismail Maaish for a collaboration that turned a beloved island landmark into something new: Beach Shack, a humble beach bar set beside one of the island’s favourite stretches of reef, became a living canvas for the first time.
Sharing his creative process with guests as he worked, Ismail curated an original mural at Beach Shack over the weekend, inspired by the underwater world surrounding the island — a bow-tied, sunglasses-wearing octopus mixing cocktails amid schools of fish, echoing the plush octopus character that greets guests in their villas on arrival, and weaving local craft and cultural storytelling into the everyday rhythm of island life.
“At Beach Shack, I wanted to bring the energy of the house reef above the water and create something playful, distinctly Maldivian and connected to its surroundings,” said Ismail. “The ocean is part of everyday life here, and this mural celebrates the colour, movement and marine characters found just beyond the shore.”
With a background in architecture, Maaish works across ink, watercolour, acrylic and large-scale murals. His art balances structure with spontaneity, using bold colours and expressive characters to explore Maldivian folklore, island life, culture and identity.
“Through the Beach Shack Artist Takeover, we bring the essence of Eri as The Island of Becoming to life—a place where nature inspires creativity and every experience opens the way for discovery and connection,” said Haroon Mohamed, General Manager of Eri Maldives. “Together with Ismail Maaish and the KULA Initiative, we are proud to provide Maldivian talent with a meaningful platform while inviting guests to experience our house reef and island culture from a fresh perspective.”
The project was presented under Pulse Resorts’ KULA Initiative, which gives local artists a platform to share their work and cultural perspectives with a wider audience, keeping Maldivian creativity and heritage visible within contemporary island life.
It’s the first of the Beach Shack Takeovers, an evolving platform inviting artists and creative talent to reinterpret the venue through their own craft.
The Maldives’ Fari Islands archipelago came alive from 13–15 August as the second edition of the Fari Islands Festival unfolded across Patina Maldives and The Ritz-Carlton Maldives. Guided by its ‘One Festival, Every Sense’ philosophy, the festival welcomed an international community of artists, cultural voices, chefs, musicians, wellness practitioners and conservationists, including headline contributor Rosamund Pike and acclaimed designer Sean Wotherspoon.
The three-day celebration of creativity, connection and discovery invited guests to experience the Fari Islands through every sense, from mindful mornings and ocean experiences to creative workshops, culinary discoveries, thought-provoking conversations and music beneath the Maldivian sky.
At the heart of this year’s festival was Rosamund Pike, the Golden Globe, Emmy and Olivier Award- winning and BAFTA and Academy Award-nominated actor and humanitarian. Pike opened the festival with a charity dinner supporting MAG (Mines Advisory Group), the humanitarian organisation dedicated to clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance from conflict zones around the world. Throughout the weekend, she explored the relationship between creativity, performance and the roles we choose to play in life through a solo address, before leading guests through a guided meditation in partnership with Lumenate, the psychedelic meditation app. Pike also embraced local culture through an intimate Maldivian cooking class at Patina Maldives’ newly launched Kandu restaurant.
Globally recognised designer and cultural tastemaker Sean Wotherspoon led a collaborative art residency, bringing his vibrant, sustainability-focused aesthetic to the islands. Throughout the festival, Wotherspoon worked alongside guests on a large-scale, reef-inspired sculpture, built collectively across the festival.
The completed sculpture will become part of ongoing coral regeneration efforts in the Fari Islands lagoon, where it will continue to evolve as marine life takes hold. Wotherspoon also transformed the Fari Art Atelier into a dedicated festival pop-up, showcasing an exclusive Fari Islands merchandise collection and limited pieces created especially for festival guests.
Wellness and movement provided a constant rhythm throughout the three days, with the Maldives’ leading running community, iRunners, bringing guests and participants together for a 5km Charity Island Run as part of the festival’s ‘Protect the Reef’ campaign. The run raised USD 5,000, which was donated to Save the Beach in support of marine and coastal conservation.
Meanwhile, Wellness by Bamford returned for a second year, with sound healer Stephanie Waxberg and aromatherapist Louise Riby leading immersive wellness experiences, joined by Noble Panacea for sessions centred on longevity and holistic wellbeing.
This year’s programme also welcomed Malin Fezehai, a National Geographic Explorer, offering guests a unique opportunity to explore the natural world through the lens of observation, storytelling and conservation. Alongside Olive Ridley Project, experiences throughout the festival centred on the Maldives’ remarkable marine ecosystems, biodiversity and ongoing conservation efforts.
As the sun set, French musician and creative icon Sébastien Tellier mesmerised festival goers with a live piano performance, while Thai multidisciplinary artist NOTEP wove together music, nature and storytelling. The festival culminated in a beachfront celebration led by acclaimed Dutch DJ and producer FS Green, one of Amsterdam’s finest talents.
Food and drink became an essential part of the ‘One Festival, Every Sense’ journey, inviting guests to slow down and savour new flavours. Michelin-starred chef Samuel Lee, founder of Parisian neo-bistrot SENsation, joined Tokyo-born dining collective WAGYUMAFIA for a series of distinctive culinary experiences, while Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, ranked No. 5 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025, joined Michter’s Whiskey for narrative-led cocktail experiences, alongside curated spirits sessions from Sei Bellissimi’s Danilo Pozone.
With its second edition now wrapped, Fari Islands Festival continues its evolving reputation as an annual gathering where creativity, culture, wellbeing and conservation meet the natural beauty of the Maldives. Following the success of the 2026 edition, Fari Islands Festival will return in 2027, inviting a new generation of artists, thinkers, chefs, performers and cultural voices to Fari Islands for its next chapter.
The Fari Islands Festival is set to return from 8-10 July in 2027. Stay up to date and reserve a stay at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives or Patina Maldives. For more information visit fari-islands.com.
Joy Island has announced its third year anniversary celebration.
The week-long celebration will start from 28 September to 4 October 2026, bringing together a vibrant programme of wellness, entertainment and island experiences designed to create memorable moments for all guests.
The celebrations will begin on 28 September with Sunrise Energy Flow Yoga, setting the tone for a week of joyful experiences. The opening evening will feature spectacular fire shows and a tropical welcome, inviting guests to come together and celebrate the beginning of this special milestone.
The main anniversary celebrations on 1 October will feature a series of signature experiences, beginning with Golden Sunset Cocktails, where guests can unwind and enjoy refreshing drinks as the sun sets over the island. This will be followed by the Anniversary Gala Dinner, hosted by Chef Koyi Tanabe offering a unique culinary experience.
The highlight of the evening will be the much-anticipated Anniversary Party, featuring live music, entertainment and an energetic atmosphere as guests come together to celebrate three years of Joy Island.
Throughout the week, guests can enjoy a vibrant programme of activities, includingJoy Beach Olympics, Stand-Up Paddle Relay Fun, Sunset DJ Sessions, Family Fashion Show, Mixology Competition and White Party. Younger guests can take part in bracelet-making, kite flying, pizza tossing, beach games and a Farewell Tree Planting Ceremony. Together, these experiences will create a vibrant celebration filled with fun, creativity, connection and unforgettable island memories.
The celebrations will also welcome distinguished guest personalities, adding an extra touch of culinary and wellness excellence to this special milestone at Joy Island Maldives. Among the featured guests will be Chef Koyi Tanabe, Executive Chef of Salvaje Dubai and Arrogante Dubai joining as the visiting chef, and Imran Zulfikar, a Wellness and Lifestyle Coach specialising in deep-tension release therapy joining as the visiting practitioner.
“Joy Island’s third year anniversary is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the memories we have created together with our guests, partners and team members,” said Bandula Thilakarathne, Resort Manager at Joy Island. “This milestone reflects our continued commitment to delivering genuine hospitality, meaningful experiences and moments of joy that stay with our guests long after their holiday. We look forward to welcoming everyone to a celebration filled with happiness, connection and the vibrant spirit of Joy Island.”
As Joy Island celebrates 3 years of creating memorable experiences in the Maldives, the resort looks forward to welcoming guests to an anniversary week filled with laughter, discovery, relaxation and celebration. At Joy Island, the spirit remains simple: “Keep Calm and JOY Your Life.”
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