Dhiraagu has announced an environmental partnership with Soneva Conservation & Sustainability Maldives (Soneva CSM) to support the Dhirun Community Coral Regeneration Programme in Baa Dharavandhoo. The initiative will combine specialist expertise with local participation, helping residents develop the skills needed to restore, monitor and care for the island’s coral reefs over the long term.
Soneva CSM, a Maldivian-registered non-governmental organisation dedicated to marine research, ecosystem conservation and local stewardship, will contribute scientific and technical knowledge to the programme. Implementation will take place alongside local NGO Muraka Farm and Dharavandhoo residents, with an emphasis on building capabilities that can be sustained within the community.
Located near Hanifaru Bay within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll, Dharavandhoo depends heavily on its surrounding reefs for fisheries, tourism and livelihoods. The programme aims to support the long-term health and climate resilience of this marine environment while giving local people a direct role in its protection.
Between 10 and 15 community members will receive practical training in coral restoration techniques and ongoing reef monitoring. This hands-on approach is intended to equip participants with the knowledge and experience to contribute to restoration work and track the condition of their reefs.
The programme will also establish a dedicated community coral nursery comprising approximately 30 to 50 nursery structures. These facilities will support coral propagation and subsequent outplanting, providing infrastructure for continued restoration activities alongside the development of local skills.
Youth participation forms another important part of the initiative. Educational sessions and public awareness campaigns will introduce younger residents to reef conservation and encourage wider community engagement. The training and awareness activities will lead into physical restoration work and a community festival on Dharavandhoo later this year.
Speaking at the launch, Bishaara Hameed, Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at Dhiraagu, highlighted the value of working directly with the island community. She said the partnership with Soneva CSM and Muraka Farm would build local knowledge and skills to support sustainable restoration and long-term stewardship.
“What makes this initiative particularly meaningful is its community-led approach,” Hameed said. She emphasised its aim of creating lasting environmental impact and strengthening marine ecosystems for future generations.
Dr Johanna Leonhardt, Director of Operations at Soneva CSM, stressed that meaningful, lasting restoration requires knowledge, skills and ownership to remain within the community. She explained that Dhirun is designed to build practical capacity so that restoration, monitoring and stewardship can increasingly be led and sustained by Dharavandhoo residents themselves.
Dr Leonhardt also expressed hope that the programme would deliver lasting benefits for the island’s reef while establishing a model that could be adapted elsewhere in the Maldives. This ambition gives the initiative relevance beyond a single restoration site, with local experience potentially informing similar community efforts across the country.
For Dharavandhoo, protecting coral reefs is closely connected to maintaining the natural resources that support economic activity. Healthy marine environments are important to both fisheries and tourism, making community stewardship relevant to livelihoods as well as conservation.
The partnership reflects Dhiraagu’s wider corporate social responsibility focus on environmental protection and ocean conservation. By supporting technical training, nursery development and youth engagement, the company is backing an approach that places local capability at the centre of environmental resilience.
Through Dhirun, the partners aim to connect scientific guidance with sustained community action. The programme offers Dharavandhoo residents an opportunity to take greater ownership of reef restoration while contributing to the protection of the marine environment on which their island depends.
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