Importance of seagrass meadows in the Maldives

Beneath the crystal-clear waters of the Maldives, seagrass meadows flourish, offering a lifeline to biodiversity and providing crucial benefits that reach beyond the horizon. Dive into the wonders of seagrass:

Despite its remarkable role, seagrass is often overlooked and suffers from a misunderstood reputation where its deemed unsightly and is sometimes considered a nuisance for tourism. Together with the Maldives tourism industry seagrass champions, we aim to change this perception.

In 2019, Maldives Resilient Reefs together with Blue Marine Foundation and the Maldives Underwater Initiative at Six Senses Laamu, launched the #ProjectMaldivesSeagrasscampaign to raise awareness of the importance of seagrass.

#SeagrassIndustryLeaders

Now, we reunite to champion seagrass conservation through the launch of the #SeagrassIndustryLeaders Circle.

This project calls upon resorts to commit to safeguarding at least 80% of their precious seagrass habitats.

By adopting more sustainable practices like raking instead of removal, and by promoting education and awareness among staff and guests on the importance of seagrass meadows, resorts position themselves at the forefront of sustainable tourism.

Our partner resorts have proudly pledged their support showcasing their commitment to ocean stewardship and transformative change.

Allegiance to the pledge is monitored on an annual basis and any failure to comply will result in the removal of the resort from the Circle.

Our vision is for the #SeagrassIndustryLeaders Circle to inspire the inclusion of seagrass protection in national policies.

Success Story

The campaign convinced more than 25 per cent of the country’s high-end resorts to protect their seagrass meadows. More than 30 resorts joined it and collectively they pledged to protect more than 830,000 square meters of seagrass around resort islands across the country.
The Seagrass monitoring protocols developed by Blue Marine and MRR was nationally recognized and added to the government’s Coral Database.

Partner resorts

Meet the champions of seagrass in the Maldives tourism industry, who are conserving at least 80% of the seagrass habitats around their resort islands. Some may not have seagrass but stand with the cause, and some chose to support discreetly.