Hay Festival competition highlights pioneering coral regeneration project in the Maldives
10-year old Zsuza Magyar of Notting Hill, London girl has won a Hay Festival competition to name the previously unnamed coral reef system at Huvafen Fushi in the Maldives. Instigated by the President of the Maldives and open to 5 – 12 year olds, the competition was aimed at raising awareness of the importance of coral reefs, the threats posed to them by climate change, and the pioneering rehabilitation work that is helping to restore them. Zsuza’s winning entry, ‘Stingray Reef’ (‘Madi Faru’ in the local Dhivehi language), was given the personal approval of President Nasheed.
At a time of increasing concern over the environment, Huvafen Fushi and its management company Per AQUUM Resorts · Spas · Residences is taking steps to support the recovery of the Maldives' shallow reefs, having appointed a resident marine biologist, Ulrike Kloiber, to develop and manage the resort’s own coral nursery and house reef rehabilitation project.
Huvafen Fushi (island name Nakatcha Fushi) is especially significant as it is subject to one of the world’s first coral ‘cultivation’ programmes: in a process described as ‘underwater gardening’, pieces of detached coral known as ‘nubbins’ are cultivated in nurseries before being transplanted to the reef, where the resort’s marine biology team continually monitors their growth. The cultivation programme has been underway since 2007 and has so far resulted in over 1,000 new ‘nubbins’ of coral taking root in the wild.
With the success of the project, Huvafen Fushi has developed a host of new marine activities and experiences for guests to get more involved, including coral planting sessions; night snorkeling; opening up the LIME Spa’s underwater treatment rooms as a ‘SpaQuarium’; and the creation of an educational ‘touch tank’ containing cushion starfish, sea cucumbers, hermit crabs and other hidden treasures. Plans are also in place to create coral gardens beneath the glass floors of overwater accommodation and spa treatment rooms.
