Coral Restoration Projects in the Maldives

The 2016 El Niño bleached over 60% of Maldivian coral. What seemed like catastrophic loss has become a case study in resilience — both ecological and human.

Fragment Gardening

Local dive shops maintain underwater 'nurseries' where broken coral fragments are secured to metal frames. Once mature, they're transplanted to degraded reef areas. Survival rates now exceed 80%.

The Maldivians who plant coral today are the grandchildren of those who harvested it. The shift from extraction to cultivation is generational.