Science-led body aiming to help coral reefs to survive and adapt to the changing climate
Location: Fulhadhoo, Baa atoll, Maldives
Status: Active
Reef Stars Deployed: 611
The Maldives Coral Institute (MCI) is a science-led body that aims to help coral reefs to survive and adapt to the changing climate. In August 2021, following the destruction of a resilient and healthy coral community on the island of Fulhadhoo, MCI and Mars joined forces to take action to restore the degraded reef and test the effectiveness and scalability of the MARRS methodology. The local community is at the heart of this project, and MCI works with the Island Council and others in the ocean and science community, including Save the Beach Maldives. After the successful pilot phase, Phase II began in August 2022 with further Reef Star builds and training to expand the restoration area and increase capacity.
In August 2022, SHEBA®, our brand partner, launched the Sheba Hope Grows ambassador program, offering members of the public an once in a lifetime chance to receive hands on restoration training at one of our key restoration sites in The Maldives. Working alongside local community volunteers, students from MNU and the Mars and MCI team, the ambassadors helped to install 200 Reef Stars, received training in the MARRS method and captured the reef restoration story on Fulhadhoo through a series of interviews. To learn more, follow @shebahopegrows on Instagram and Twitter or visit shebahopegrows.com.