Water-related challenges

Sustainable development

The future of the Maldives depends on a partnership between entrepreneurs, researchers and tourists

Collaboration between three resorts in the Planhotel group, Bicocca University and the MarHE Centre for marine conservation

by Claudia La Via

8 July 2026

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Un esempio di reef star: struttura metallica esagonale su cui vengono fissati i coralli per ricreare habitat nelle aree degradate Courtesy/ foto di Inga Dehnert

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Turning the atolls into centres for mitigating the effects of climate change and for environmental education, by fostering a partnership between resort operators, university researchers and tourists. This is happening in the Maldives, where coral reefs are both an ecosystem that generates economic wealth and supports marine life, and a natural defence for the coastline against rising sea levels caused by climate change. Here, coral restoration is not a secondary activity but a matter of survival, given that the entire archipelago is at risk of being submerged in the coming decades.

At the Diamonds Thudufushi, Diamonds Athuruga and Sandies Bathala resorts, the Planhotel Hospitality Group strives to combine hospitality, scientific research and conservation. “Caring for the environment in the destinations where we operate has always been a key focus for us, which is why we have formed a partnership with the University of Milan-Bicocca, a leader in marine biology,” explains Sara Rosso, president of Planhotel.

The collaboration with the University of Milan and the MaRHE Centre – its research station on the island of Magoodhoo – is, in fact, the scientific cornerstone of the project. And the resorts’ marine laboratories form part of a network that hosts students, researchers, long-term monitoring programmes and fieldwork, having evolved over the years into a space where research coexists with environmental education and where advanced tools are also utilised: from DNA analysis to 3D printing.

Inga Dehnert, marine research manager, coordinates the scientific work. Resident biologists work on the islands, supported by interns – often marine science students from Bicocca University – who stay for three to six months and collect data for research projects. “We bring together a diverse network of stakeholders around a common goal: to promote marine conservation and sustainable tourism through science-based actions,” explains Dehnert. Activities are defined through shared objectives and monitoring protocols. They measure coral cover, coral growth and survival, fish communities and biodiversity, and compare the results of the various interventions.

The presentations

The three islands do not follow the same pattern. Seabeds, depths, exposure to currents, the extent of degradation and coral communities vary from one location to another. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to coral restoration,” notes Dehnert. At Thudufushi, the coral structure adoption programme has been running since 2015 and is one of the longest-running in the Maldives. Here, the coral platform has enabled a large-scale intervention using ‘MARRS reef stars’: hexagonal steel structures to which coral fragments are attached, serving to recreate a stable substrate in degraded areas of the reef. The large-scale installation on the island now comprises over 1,500 reef stars on the seabed. Monitoring shows coral growth, good survival rates and a more complex habitat, offering more space and shelter for marine life.

Athuruga, on the other hand, tells a different story. The reef, once considered one of the most beautiful in the atoll, was hit by the 2015–2016 ‘crown-of-thorns’ starfish outbreak and then by a mass bleaching event. Here, efforts are focused on mid-water nurseries: fragments of coral are cultivated whilst suspended, their growth monitored, and then transplanted onto the reef. On Bathala, a smaller island but one with a very varied topography, rope nurseries and support structures for the corals are combined with environmental education activities.

Living Laboratories

The resorts thus also become living laboratories: materials and techniques are tested under real-world conditions, with the progress of the work monitored almost daily. Research is carried out on the sounds of the reef, recorded using underwater microphones, or on the identification of large, ancient colonies, which may help to explain why some corals withstand the test of time better than others. Guests, too, often play an active role in the process: “Their involvement is part of the experiences that add value,” emphasises Rosso.

The fundamental limitation remains. Restoration can speed up recovery, but it cannot, on its own, protect the reefs from ocean warming. At Thudufushi, Athuruga and Bathala, monitoring before, during and after extreme events – such as major bleaching events – helps to understand which species, areas and conditions are best able to withstand thermal stress. But, as Dehnert explains, the success of coral restoration goes far beyond simply transplanting corals: it offers an opportunity for the most resilient reefs, but is not enough on its own. ‘True ecosystem recovery requires the restoration of ecological functions, the support of biodiversity, the maintenance of water quality and the assurance that corals can survive and reproduce naturally over time.’