
MALDIVES
JANUARY 2020
WAITT
EXPEDITION
In January 2020, the Noo Raajje team set off on an unprecedented expedition to study coral reef health, fish and benthic populations, and water quality across the atolls of the Maldives. Led by the Maldives Marine Research Institute, the Waitt Institute, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, this expedition worked to better understand the health of the ocean environment in the Maldives. This data will inform a Marine Spatial Plan in the Maldives and help to make a longterm plan to protect the underwater life and resources that all Maldivians rely on.
Building upon the extensive research from the Maldives Marine Research Institute, this expedition surveyed 16 atolls over 26 days. The team conducted a follow up expedition in 2021 to survey the Southern Atolls.
EXPEDITION
REPORT
EXPEDITION
PARTNERS


KEY
FINDINGS
19.4%
mean coral cover
Results suggest that Maldivian reefs have the capacity for recovery following a disturbance.
EXPEDITION
GOALS

CATEGORIZE CORAL REEF HEALTH

DETERMINE HUMAN IMPACT ON THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

INVESTIGATE HEALTH OF TOP PREDATORS

CREATE DATASET ON FISH COUNTS
KEY
STATISTICS
atolls surveyed
16
science dives
978
80
species found from the IUCN Redlist
274,004
individual fish counted
“From fisheries to tourism to our way of life, the ocean is a key part of each Maldivian. We are excited that this expedition will build upon existing research being done by the government to explore the sustainable use of the ocean.”
Shafiya Naeem
Head of Maldives Marine Research Institute

EXPEDITION
HIGHLIGHTS
EXPEDITION
SPOTLIGHTS

Nizam Ibrahim
Senior Research Officer
Nizam took photo-quadrats of the reef bottom to understand life in the surveyed reefs and assisted in photo mosaic set up to capture 3-D images of the reef using more than 5,000 images.

Hana Amir
Marine Biologist
Hana leads coral reef-related research at the Maldives Marine Research Institute. She is motivated to protect the ocean in order to preserve its resources for the future.

Aya Naseem
Co-founder
Aya collected data about the compositions of corals and other algae on the seafloor.