JOALI Maldives, the Maldives’ first art-immersive resort, marks a significant new chapter in its long-term commitment to marine conservation as its JOALI Reef Restoration Programme (JRRP) continues to expand across the waters surrounding Muravandhoo Island.

Developed to support the natural recovery and resilience of the island’s surrounding reef ecosystem, the programme has grown over the years to encompass multiple coral nursery systems, artificial reef structures and dedicated outplanting areas. Today, 11,124 coral fragments have been planted across the programme, including 1,500 fragments successfully outplanted onto the house reef.

Led by the resort’s Marine Lab, the programme nurtures small coral fragments through different nursery systems until they develop into healthy, established colonies. Once they reach a suitable size, selected colonies are transferred onto designated areas of the house reef, where their growth and development can continue to be monitored over time.

The programme has also received approval and permit from the relevant Ministry to continue its reef restoration activities, supporting JOALI Maldives’ ongoing efforts to develop and expand its long-term approach to coral conservation.

From coral fragments to thriving colonies

At the heart of the JRRP is a diverse network of coral nurseries and artificial reef structures designed to support different stages of coral growth.

The programme currently encompasses 57 spider frames holding 1,995 coral fragments; Mineral Accretion Technology (MAT) tables with 5,424 fragments; rope nurseries with 2,000 fragments; grid nurseries with 250 fragments; Christmas tree structures with 450 fragments; and the Coral House with 1,500 fragments.

Rope and grid nurseries serve primarily as intermediate growing environments, where smaller coral fragments are nurtured until they reach an appropriate size for outplanting. Spider frames, Christmas tree structures and the Coral House provide stable surfaces where corals can continue to establish themselves and gradually develop into artificial reef habitats.

Together with the 1,500 fragments already outplanted onto the house reef, these initiatives represent 11,124 coral fragments planted across JOALI Maldives’ coral restoration activities to date.

“One of the most meaningful parts of this programme has been watching coral fragments that we planted years ago develop into large, healthy colonies. When we first placed them in the nurseries, they were only small pieces of coral. Today, many have become established parts of the reef, with fish and other marine life returning around them. Seeing that transformation makes all the time and care behind the programme incredibly rewarding,” says Shameem, Senior Marine Biologist at JOALI Maldives.

Restoring the house reef

Outplanting has been an important part of the programme since operations began in November 2022.

Healthy and established coral colonies are carefully transferred from the nurseries to suitable areas of the house reef, where they can continue to grow within the natural reef ecosystem.

A dedicated restoration area around the resort’s Arrival Centre has been established to allow appropriate spacing between colonies while enabling the Marine Lab team to monitor their health, growth and development over time.

To date, 1,500 coral fragments have been outplanted onto the house reef, representing an important step in translating the nursery programme into direct reef restoration.

“Successful reef restoration is not simply about how many corals we plant. What matters is seeing those corals survive, grow and become part of the natural reef ecosystem. When fish and other marine life begin using the restored areas, that is when we can really see the impact of the work,” adds Shameem.

Advancing restoration through Mineral Accretion Technology

Among the programme’s developments is the introduction of Coralive Mineral Accretion Technology (MAT).

The MAT nursery consists of 24 tables arranged in two circles and uses a low-voltage direct current system designed to promote the attachment of calcium carbonate – an important component of coral skeletons – and support coral growth.

Corals remain on the tables for approximately 10 to 12 months, allowing them time to establish and grow before they are considered for outplanting.

Each table can accommodate up to 113 coral fragments, providing the nursery with capacity for approximately 2,712 fragments per cycle. Once mature colonies are transferred to the reef, the tables can be replenished with new coral fragments, creating an ongoing restoration cycle.

Creating new habitats beneath the surface

Alongside its nursery and outplanting activities, the JRRP incorporates a collection of artificial reef structures designed to provide stable environments for coral development.

Spider frames, Christmas tree-shaped structures and the Coral House allow fragments to establish themselves and, over time, contribute to the creation of new underwater habitats.

These initiatives also provide opportunities to connect guests more closely with marine conservation. Through selected experiences, guests can participate in coral planting and learn directly from the Marine Lab team about reef ecosystems, coral restoration and the importance of protecting the marine environment of the Maldives.

The resort’s Christmas Corals tradition, for example, invites guests to add coral fragments to a Christmas tree-shaped frame, bringing together festive creativity and meaningful conservation.

Connecting guests with coral restoration

Alongside its scientific restoration work, the JOALI Maldives Reef Restoration Programme invites guests to become active participants in the conservation journey. Through experiences led by the Marine Lab team, guests can learn about coral ecosystems, take part in coral planting and contribute directly to the long-term restoration of the reef surrounding Muravandhoo Island.

Guests can support the programme through three dedicated experiences. The Private Coral Planting and Adoption experience allows guests to take part in a private planting session and plant their own coral frame. A personalised sign with the guest’s name is added to the frame, and the Marine Lab team shares progress updates every three months for one year.

For guests who would like to contribute without participating in the planting themselves, the Adopt a Coral Frame experience is available. The adopted frame is personalised with the guest’s name, with progress updates shared every three months for one year.

Through Adopt a Coral Table, 24 guests each year also have the opportunity to sponsor one of the programme’s Mineral Accretion Technology tables, directly supporting the nursery system used to enhance coral growth.

Through these experiences, guests are able to follow the journey of coral restoration beyond their stay, creating a meaningful connection with the reef and supporting JOALI Maldives’ wider approach to restoration, monitoring and marine education.

A long-term commitment to the reef

The next chapter of the JOALI Maldives Reef Restoration Programme will focus on increasing nursery capacity, growing healthy coral colonies and progressively outplanting more established corals onto suitable areas of the house reef.

The Marine Lab will continue to monitor coral health and growth, maintain existing nursery and artificial reef structures, and explore further restoration initiatives.

Alongside the scientific and conservation work, education remains an important part of the programme. Through guest engagement and experiences led by the Marine Lab, JOALI Maldives aims to encourage greater awareness of coral reef conservation and the importance of protecting the fragile ecosystems surrounding the Maldivian islands.

As the nurseries continue to mature and established colonies make their way back onto the house reef, the JOALI Reef Restoration Programme reflects a long-term approach to conservation – one built around continuous restoration, monitoring, education and a deeper connection between guests and the natural world surrounding Muravandhoo Island.

“Coral restoration requires patience. Change does not happen overnight, but over the years we have seen how resilient corals can be when they are given the right conditions to recover and grow. My hope is to see these restored areas become healthier and increasingly diverse, while continuing to help our guests understand that corals are living animals and that every one of us has a role to play in protecting them,” says Shameem.

Nova Maldives will renew its partnership with PADI this September to co-host Project AWARE Week from 16 to 20 September 2026.

Organised by the resort’s marine team, the programme will give guests, from first-time snorkellers to experienced divers, opportunities to combine marine wildlife observation with practical conservation activities. The initiative is intended to turn time spent in the ocean into an educational experience while encouraging greater awareness of marine conservation.

This year’s AWARE Week coincides with PADI’s 60th anniversary and Nova Maldives’ fourth year of operation in South Ari Atoll. Now in its eighth global edition, PADI AWARE Week has developed into a citizen science movement within the diving community and has helped rescue more than 41,000 entangled marine animals to date.

Through its continued participation, Nova Maldives aims to encourage guests to become ocean advocates and remain engaged with marine conservation beyond their stay.

Guests staying at Nova during AWARE Week will be able to participate in a programme designed for different levels of ocean experience. Activities will include:

• Ocean immersion and storytelling: Sessions inspired by Blue Planet and other ocean documentaries, highlighting the diversity and vulnerability of marine life.
• Dive Against Debris: Underwater clean-up dives in the resort’s lagoon, during which participants will remove plastic and other waste before recording the findings in PADI AWARE’s global database.
• Whale shark snorkelling: Guided encounters that will allow guests to swim alongside whale sharks in the open waters of South Ari Atoll.
• Manta ray and turtle-spotting excursions: Guided boat trips to feeding and nesting areas where manta rays and turtles can be observed in their natural habitats.
• Coral restoration workshops: Practical sessions introducing guests to coral planting and the resort’s ongoing reef regeneration work.

“Some of the most meaningful work happens when you show up year after year. Four years into Nova’s story, we’ve learned that the health of the reef tells us a great deal about the impact we’re making, and that the guests who choose to return aren’t just here for the view,” said Abdulla Aboobakuru, General Manager of Nova Maldives.

“They’re here because Nova reflects something they already care about, including care for the ocean, a sense of community and a more thoughtful way of experiencing the places we visit. That’s what we hope Nova can inspire in new and returning guests alike: less a destination, more a calling.”

The resort’s marine conservation work continues throughout the year. Its coral nursery contains a growing collection of metal frames holding individually secured coral fragments, which are later transplanted onto the house reef. Guests are regularly invited to participate in the planting process, while the marine team monitors the young coral colonies as they develop.

Nova Maldives also maintains partnerships with the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme and Manta Trust. The resort is accredited as a Responsible Manta Tourism Operator, with the partnerships supporting its year-round approach to marine conservation.

Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives is celebrating its third annual Manta Month this September, bringing guests, team members and the local community together for a month of manta encounters, education and marine conservation.

The timing could hardly be more relevant. New peer-reviewed research published in PLOS ONE in June 2026 has put a remarkable economic value on protecting the Maldives’ manta rays. The study estimates that manta ray tourism generated US$227.3 million in the Maldives in 2021, equivalent to 2.6% of national GDP, with direct economic benefits to businesses, communities and government estimated at more than US$311 million annually.

Over their lifetimes, the Maldives’ reef manta ray population is estimated to contribute US$8.6 billion in tourism revenue. The researchers calculated the lifetime tourism value of a single reef manta ray at approximately US$2.6 million.

“These numbers put into perspective something we have always believed at Kandooma: a living manta ray is incredibly valuable, not just environmentally, but to communities, tourism and the Maldives as a whole,” said Sharon Garrett, Director of Marketing & Sustainability at Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives.

“Kandooma’s Manta Month is about helping people understand what is swimming in the waters around us, why these animals are so special and why protecting them matters.”

The Maldives is home to the world’s largest known population of reef manta rays, and Kandooma’s location in South Malé Atoll places it close to an important manta aggregation area.

The Maldives Manta Conservation Programme identifies the resort’s nearby waters as an important habitat for juvenile reef manta rays. During the Southwest Monsoon, mantas feed in the sheltered Guraidhoo Falhu lagoon, also known as Sand Dunes, which contains a recognised cleaning station at Banana Reef.

Long-term Manta Trust research shows manta activity at Guraidhoo Falhu peaking between July and November, predominantly involving juvenile and sub-adult reef manta rays, placing September right in the heart of the documented peak period.

The seasonal movement of manta rays around the Maldives is closely connected to the monsoons. As ocean currents flow around the Maldives’ atolls, they help bring nutrient-rich water towards the surface, supporting concentrations of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Manta rays follow these productive feeding areas and visit cleaning stations where small reef fish remove parasites and dead skin.

Manta rays are unusually vulnerable because they reproduce very slowly. Long-term Maldives research by Manta Trust founder Dr Guy Stevens found that female reef manta rays reach sexual maturity at approximately 15 years old, while males mature at around 11 years. Their very low reproductive rate is one of the reasons manta populations recover slowly from human pressures.

Individual mantas can be identified by the unique pattern of spots on their undersides, much like a human fingerprint, allowing researchers to recognise and track the same animals over many years.

“Once you start learning about mantas, they become much more than something spectacular you hope to see on a dive,” said Garrett.

“You begin to understand that researchers can recognise individual animals, follow their movements and build up histories of their lives. That connection is exactly what we want to encourage during Manta Month at Kandooma.”

The waters surrounding Kandooma also have a long history of marine protection. Guraidhoo Kandu was designated a Marine Protected Area in 1995, and the Manta Trust identifies the area as an important reef manta aggregation area. Long-term research recorded 181 reef manta sightings associated with the protected Guraidhoo Kandu area between 1987 and 2017.

“Many people don’t realise how much work has already been done to protect manta rays and important marine habitats in the Maldives,” said Garrett. “Guraidhoo Kandu, right on our doorstep, has been protected for more than 30 years. Manta Month allows us to share stories and help our guests understand why conservation works.”

Throughout September, guests at Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives are invited to learn more about manta rays through a programme combining education, activities and opportunities to encounter them responsibly in their natural environment.

Guided excursions with the resort’s marine team and Kandooma Dive, its PADI 5 Star Dive Centre, take guests to manta hotspots when conditions and sightings allow, combining the excitement of a potential encounter with information about manta behaviour, habitat and conservation.

The programme also shares the story of a manta (named Kandooma) rescued in August 2023 from ghost fishing nets near the island, illustrating the threats discarded fishing gear can pose to marine life.

Younger guests can get involved through manta-themed activities and crafts, while reef and island clean-ups encourage guests and team members to take practical action for the marine environment.

Manta Month also raises funds for conservation beyond the island. For every manta pendant sold at the resort boutique during Manta Month, US$5 will be donated to the Manta Trust, supporting its research, education and conservation work.

The initiative forms part of Kandooma’s wider sustainability programme and supports its commitment to marine conservation under the framework that contributed to the resort achieving Green Globe Certification.

“If someone leaves Kandooma knowing more about manta rays, appreciating them a little more and understanding why protecting them matters, then Manta Month has achieved what we set out to do,” said Garrett.

Manta Month is celebrated every September at Kandooma, coinciding with one of the key periods for manta activity in neighbouring waters.

Located in South Malé Atoll, approximately 45 minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives is a private island resort known for its relaxed atmosphere, natural beauty and strong connection to the ocean. The island offers access to exceptional scuba diving, including nearby Kandooma Thila. Accommodation spans Garden and Beach Villas, two-storey Beach Houses and Overwater Villas, complemented by extensive family activities, island dining and Kandooma Spa by COMO Shambhala.

Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives will transition to Kandooma Maldives from 1 October 2026, operated by HPL Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary of Hotel Properties Limited. To arrange a stay at Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, visit the resort’s official website.