As a collection of more than a thousand and one hundred islands, the Maldivian sea bed contains a whopping 250 species of corals. Although a vast majority of the islands remain uninhabited save for around 200, some of these isles boast wetland ecosystems that are found nowhere else on the planet. Opening these natural attributes up to tourist pursuits is too risky and that is why the country's Ministry of Environment has launched several Coastal Protection Projects with the aid of the World Bank. These Coastal Protection Projects not only aim to safeguard the biodiversity of these coral species and wetlands but also to offer limited recreational pursuits that do not damage their natural integrity.