Joanna James
The beautiful coral reefs of the Maldives are one of its foremost attractions and to preserve them, travellers must be responsible when diving and snorkelling, use reef-safe sun creams and so on. Read on to find out more.
If you choose to enter the magical undersea world of the Maldives, there will be several steps that you could take to be a responsible and respectful traveller. You should never touch the reefs or anchor a boat on a reef. This is because, if you make contact with a reef, the fragile coral animals will be damaged. Similarly, if you anchor a boat on a reef, corals will be killed; therefore, you should only anchor a boat at a location where no corals are present.
You should always only use sun cream / sunscreen which doesn't contain damaging chemicals which will harm corals after you go into the water. In fact, several ingredients sometimes present in sunscreen such as octinoxate and oxybenzone are considered to be harmful to corals. Therefore, it will be important for you to only use products that will not harm the delicate marine ecosystem. It may also be possible to totally avoid using sunscreen by putting on a rash guard or shirt with long sleeves to protect your skin from sunburn.
Various measures have been taken by environmentally-conscious resorts to safeguard their coral reefs. Some resorts have made maps indicating the clear snorkelling channels, with the actual channels being marked by entrances, signs, buoys and flags. Information is provided to guests in their mother tongue regarding the experience of snorkelling and the necessary precautions to preserve the coral reefs. Additionally, frequent reef patrols and clean-up initiatives are conducted. A choice of accommodation to consider which takes protective measures such as these would be Kuramathi Maldives where you may stay at pleasingly located Maldives villas.
As you might expect, it is illegal to take living coral from the ocean, which will undoubtedly harm the coral reefs. Similarly, you may not remove dead coral as these will eventually decompose into the Maldives' much-admired white powdery sand. Additionally, visitors must not remove seashells from the beach; this is mainly because there could be a living animal making its home inside it. Even if there is no creature within the shell presently, an animal could very well need it soon.
Not surprisingly, it is vitally important to safeguard the coral reefs of the Maldives by not leaving behind any kind of foreign material. Any type of litter may harm the coral formations and fish whilst also polluting the waters and detracting from the beauty of the reef. Therefore, you should always take care to never leave behind unwanted plastic material, trash or other kinds of foreign material in the waters or on a beach. By following this guideline, it will be possible to minimise the impact of litter on the marine environment and help protect the reefs.
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