Baa Atoll Council is holding a reef restoration school programme in Fulhadhoo, Baa Atoll.
The programme is being held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tourism industry in the Maldives with assistance from the Ministry of Tourism, Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Office and Reefscapers, an independent marine consultancy company.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the programme, Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan said that students need to learn how to restore coral reefs, as reef damage has a larger impact on the environment and the tourism sector. He also noted that Baa Atoll is rich in biodiversity and is the first biosphere reserve in the Maldives.
Also at the ceremony, President of Baa Atoll Council Ahmed Afrah said that the atoll has a well-developed tourism industry and that the most important step in maintaining its success is to preserve the biodiversity in the atoll. He expressed hope that the reef restoration programme will help in these efforts.
Students of all the schools in Baa Atoll are participating in the programme, in which they are taught the methods for making and installing coral frames and information on restoring reefs. Under the programme, the students are installing the coral frames on the reefs of their residential islands.
The programme is being conducted with the help of marine biologists who work at the resorts in Baa Atoll. Coral frames have been donated to each school participating in the programme. A total of 134 students from 13 schools are participating in the programme. Baa Atoll Council stated that more activities have been planned to celebrate the golden jubilee of the tourism industry in the Maldives.