the maldives coral restoration program - Supported by Sheba Hope ™
In 2024, Save the Beach Maldives (STBM) partnered with the SHEBA® brand to implement community-based coral reef restoration across The Maldives, to help save Maldivian coral reefs from irreversible loss and degradation.
Link to the video: https://youtu.be/fjuo6K1mlVc?si=V1xQoCDfiaE89XQ9
Identified as an island and coral nation, on the frontline of climate change, with a high dependency on its coral reefs, the Maldives represents a critically important ecoregion for coral reef restoration. Since 2020, we have been supporting Reef Star builds and restoration efforts across the Maldives, but in 2024, with the support of the Sheba® brand, we established our first STBM-led restoration build.
As part of the Sheba Hope Grows™ movement, a global effort to restore coral reefs at ecologically meaningful scales, in May, 2024, we launched our official partnership with the SHEBA® brand in Canada. As part of this partnership and working alongside local community members, marine biologists, and volunteers, we were able to install 280 Reef Stars on the degraded reef flat of Vilingilli, out planting over 4000 corals. During the pilot build, four members of our team were trained in the Reef Star method to become qualified MARRS reef builders. Our co-founder and President, Hassan Ahmed (Beybe), has now gone on to complete his MARRS trainer qualification during 2025.
This pilot build was part of the launch of the Maldives Coral Restoration Program - the first National restoration program and the biggest coral restoration program in The Maldives. To expand the program, and working alongside the local community, a new reef star restoration site was established on the Island of Keyodhoo, installing a further 200 reef stars and out planting 3,000 coral fragments.
Building off this success and pilot, we have expanded the program through an exciting partnership with the SHEBA® brand in Europe, which has provided critical funding to further expand our program across The Maldives. As part of this partnership, we will be establishing restoration sites at a further two islands, installing over 2,500 Reef Stars and outplanting +37,500 coral fragments. Alongside restoring reefs, this program will mean that we can employ six local Maldivians through STBM, train a minimum of 15 local community members in the MARRS approach and establish three local island project coordinators.
This is just the beginning. Together with our partners and local communities, we're not only restoring reefs—we're growing hope, reviving ecosystems, and reshaping what's possible for coral restoration in the Maldives.
A huge thanks to our partner, the SHEBA® brand, for their belief, support and hope.
