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V The Maldives ~1192
islands with a 300 km2
land mass
V Exclusive economic zone
of 859,000 km2
V Within atoll lagoon and
reef areas ~21,300 km2
V The 26 atolls lie along a
north-south axis between
7o N to 0.4oS and from
72o- 73o E. longitude in
the central part of the
Chagos ± Maldives ±
Laccadive ridge in the
central Indian Ocean
Veef Check survey techniques were used to monitor a suite of
biological indicators of coral reef health from a geographically
diverse set of lagoon, shallow reefs from northern Haa Dhaalu to
Addu atoll, south of the equator.
The Marine Vesearch Centre¶s National Coral Veef Monitoring
Survey data provided an historical record, along with other outside
agency studies, for assessing the recovery of Maldivian coral reefs to
natural disasters in the past 12 years.
The unprecedented coral bleaching in 1997 - 1998 around the world
including the Maldives, resulted in extensive mortality to scleractinian,
reef building corals.
V Coral cover on Haa Dhaalu atoll was nearly 0% after the 1998
bleaching event.
V Subsequent reef recovery was slow with coral cover only
achieving 3-5% in 2005.
V However, since 2005, coral cover has been rapid.
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 Coral cover on the northern reefs of Haa Dhaalu atoll was

nearly 0% after the 1998 bleaching event.
 Subsequent reef recovery was slow with coral cover only
achieving 3 - 5% in 2005.
 Since 2005, coral cover has been rapid.
 Ê
  
V In 2009, coral cover ranged from 14%-29%.
V This was collectively the lowest coral cover for all the atolls surveyed.
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 Hon¶daafushi & Finey had higher coral cover at 10m than at 3m

 Hon¶daafushi coral cover -50%, Finey coral cover 21%
 At Hirimaradhoo because zooanthid was dominating the reef,
hard coral cover was the least of the Haa Dhaalu sites with only
14% cover at 3 m and 0.6% at 10 m
 m
 
   Coral cover at Boduban¶dos
70
after the 1998 bleaching was
2% . Coral cover increased
60
Doduban'dos
6.9% in 2002.
50
Udhafushi
aniyafushi
Subsequent to the 2002
n¶boodhoofinolhu survey construction of a
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40
harbour for the Bandos
30
Vesort occurred adjacent to
the survey site. Despite the
20
nearby harbor the coral
10 cover increased to 41% in
2009. This is a remarkable
0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
recovery!!

Udhafushi was the outer reef slope of a O
 in the center of North

Male¶ atoll. From the post bleaching coral cover of 1.3% in 1998, the
site recovered slowly to 2.9% in 2002
En¶boodhoofinolhu had the lowest live coral cover in NCVMS in
2009. The reef has been used for sand mining for several decades.
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After the sampling in 2005 the hotel at Maayafushi reef had
expanded constructing water bungalows over the reef flat and within
100 m of the reef edge.

It does not appear that the sedimentation associated with the

construction of the bungalows greatly thwarted the recruitment of
new corals by either smothering new recruits or covering suitable
substrate with silt rendering then unsuitable for settlement.

Much of the recovery in these sites is due to successful recruitment

and growth of primarily acroporid colonies and to lesser extent
pocilliporid colonies.

Maayafushi reef also had good recovery from 6% in 2005 to 31%

coral cover in 2009.
·andholhudhoo is a picnic island with beautiful beaches naturally
replenished by a diverse, healthy coral reef which surrounds the island

·andholhudho reef
showing some
physical damage and
partial mortality to
tabulate V


and intact tabulate
V

colonies,
March 2009.
   
 Addu atoll were subjected to the 1998 bleaching event, but had
the greatest recovery of live coral cover in sites distant from
anthropogenic influences.
 After the 1998 bleaching, the reefs at Addu atoll still had some
living coral.

r



 

v



199 1998 1999 1 8 9 1

 The Vilingili reef had about 4% coral cover in 1998
increasing to 13% in 2002.
 In 2009, the coral cover had increased to 55% in spite of its
proximity of the development of resort water bungalows and
beach restoration efforts.
Vecently killed coral was observed at Vilingili reef, but
only covered 0.3% of the substrate in the two transect
lines.
 Large colonies of ü
 
 were common at Vilingili reef, May
2009.
 üorities are slow growing corals
 Indicate continuous coral community over the past several decades.
A member of the MVC coral reef monitoring team conducting a survey
along four 20 m transects at Hithadhoo reef, Addu atoll in May 2009
 Assessing the recovery of the reefs in the Maldives is like the story
of three blind men each describing an elephant by touching the
trunk, leg or tail.

 There is considerable variation among reefs and among habitats

within reefs.

 This variation is a function of the wide latitudinal range of the atolls,

the structure of the atolls and chance.

 These factors create considerable variation in the abiotic factors

that influence reef development and, therefore, considerable
variation among reefs.

 The recovery of most of the reefs surveyed during the past decade
is remarkable and suggests the question:

Where were the new recruits coming from????

K

— 


 A detailed study of currents around the Maldives would help to
determine the larval dispersal for both invertebrate and reef fish
stocks.

 This information is necessary to better understand and manage

these larval source communities.
Acknowledgements
MVC Director Shiham
Adam is gratefully
ack nowledged for his
encouragement and
hospitality to N.J. Quinn

N. Thoufeeq, H. Amir, and

Y. Vilwan assisted in the
data collection and data
entry. B.L. ·ojis assisted
with the reef survey
training . Their assistance
and good cheer helped
expedite the expeditions.
Acknowledgements

Captain Shareef and crew of the p
p
, Captain Anwar of p

  and Captain Adam of p
  provided the safe and
comfortable logistical platform for our field trips.

NJQ is grateful to the US State Department for the Senior Fulbright

Fellowship.