Marine conservation volunteering in the Maldives
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world.
Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Many reefs in the Maldives are in a relatively pristine state and of high aesthetic quality. The Maldives Marine Research Station of the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture identified a need for further research and monitoring work as far back as 1997. We are addressing this need and working with Reef Check (RC) and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) in order to provide vital data on reef health.
Data from the coral reef surveys will be used at international, regional and national levels to provide a ‘status report’ on the health of Maldivian reefs. At the national level, it will be used to help make informed management and conservation recommendations. Surveys will be carried out both inside and outside current Maldivian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to continue the work of the Marine Conservation Society, which is investigating the impact of MPAs on fish and coral populations.
As regards whale sharks, during transfers between the Reef Check dive sites, the expedition will endeavour to record presence / absence of whale sharks from the vessel. If there is the opportunity, the expedition will enter the water with the sharks and attempt to take pictures of their gill area. Gill areas photographs are being used by the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme to record presence / absence of whale sharks in the archipelago. Photos of the markings in and around the gill / pectoral fin areas are unique (like a human fingerprint) for each individual. The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme can then match one individual's unique markings with the photographic record and add that image and the whale shark’s location to their database, and see if it has been recorded before, and from where. This will then allow conservationists at the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme to map where individual sharks go, how often they are recorded at individual locations, and whether further protection mechanisms are needed for individual hotspot locations.
Coral reef structures of the Maldives archipelago are extraordinarily diverse and rich. The fish populations of the Maldives are also exceptionally rich in terms of diversity and biomass. Shark fishing within the atolls was banned by the Maldivian government in 2008, and their numbers appear to be increasing, and small reef sharks are still commonly observed in Maldivian waters. Many thillas lie in areas of strong current, and can be visited at times when jacks, snapper and shark forage for their prey. These reefs are ‘fed’ by the channels between the outer barrier reef that punctuate this vast archipelago, where the diving can be exciting. The unique location and geology of the Maldives also makes it a rich area for filter feeding whale shark and manta rays, with observations of these species an exciting event for those on board live-aboard dive trips.
Dives range from thillas, walls, fore and back reefs, where gently sloping reefs are covered by hard corals, and the regionally abundant black tube coral, Tubastrea. All of our survey dives are to a maximum 18 metre depth, which generally are the shallow water areas that provide the richest coral growth.
We are a multi-award winning (including multiple awards from Responsible Travel), not-for-profit organisation committed to running real wildlife conservation research expeditions to all corners of the Earth and says
Our projects are not tours, photographic safaris or excursions but genuine research expeditions, promoting sustainable conservation and preservation of the planet's wildlife by forging alliances between scientists and the public. Our goal is to make, through our expedition work, an active contribution towards a sustainable biosphere. We believe in empowering ordinary people by placing them at the centre of scientific study and by actively involving them out in the field, where there is conservation work to be done.
We always work in close conjunction with local people and scientists and try our best to ensure that the fruits of our expedition work benefit our local helpers, their society and the environment they live in. Adventure, remote locations, different cultures and people are part and parcel of our expeditions, but also the knowledge that you will have played an active role in conserving part of our planet's biosphere. We exist for those who, through their hands-on work, want to make a difference to the survival of the particular species or habitat under investigation, and to the world at large. We invite everyone to come and join us out in the field, at the forefront of conservation, to work, learn, experience and take responsible guardianship of our planet.
To achieve this we will wherever possible: + collaborate with reputable scientists, research institutions and educational establishments (wherever possible from the host nation) who are experts in their field + collaborate with organisations and businesses which operate in an ethical and/or sustainable way + operate in an ethical and sustainable way, minimising negative impacts on local cultures, environments and economies + publish results and recommendations based on collaborative work together with those who helped gather data and draw conclusions.
Community
On this project we are working with Reef Check, the Marine Conservation Society, the Maldives Marine Research Centre (MRC) of the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme and the MV Carpe Diem. Data will also be used in collaboration with the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and the University of York, which has a department of conservation. Our long-term dataset is not only of interest to conservationists working on monitoring the global status on reefs, such as those from the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN), but more locally too, especially as regards the effectiveness of current Maldivian Marine Protected Areas in their ability to protect and recover significant numbers and biomass of commercially important finfish. The project is generously supported by Soneva through the Six Senses Resorts & Spas Social & Environmental Responsibility Fund.
All missions are developed with local partners and scientists, as well as community representatives where appropriate. This consultation serves to minimise negative impacts on local cultures. This is often developed through a more complete integration into the local community, by working alongside them to achieve a conservation objective.
Accommodation varies from fixed camps, jungle lodges to tents. Where applicable, these will be owned locally.
Where possible food is sourced from locally supplied produce and ideally from organic sources.
Where applicable, team members are encouraged to spend their relaxation time using local facilities and resources.
We always work in close conjunction with local people and makes sure that the fruits of our work benefit local helpers, their society and the environment they live in.
Briefings before the start of the mission and leaders during the mission highlight relevant social issues and offer best practice examples to team members.
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