Sustainability in Laamu

Mantas

The Manta Trust is a registered charity with the mission to conserve mobulid rays and their habitats through research, education and collaboration. Since 2014, the Manta Trust has been working with us to study the local manta ray population and educate guests and the local community about the importance and vulnerability of manta rays. 

Just a 15-minute boat ride from Six Senses Laamu and 20-meters below the surface is Hithadhoo Corner, a series of large coral blocks teeming with cleaner wrasse eager to clean Laamu’s resident manta rays. Innovative research techniques allow the team to learn more about mating behavior and pregnancy.

Sea turtles

Olive Ridley Project (ORP) exists to protect Maldivian sea turtles from threats. Since 2018, they are making this dream a reality through their work as part of the Maldives Underwater Initiative. ORP continues to safeguard Laamu’s turtles through a wide range of research projects including studying the local turtle populations, monitoring turtle nests and collecting data on ghost nets found in and around the atoll. 

ORP Annual Report 2019

Dolphins

Our marine biologists accompany sunset and dolphin cruises to share information about the two species we commonly see and to record valuable information about these sightings. In 2014, a Six Senses marine biologist developed the nation's first Dolphin Code of Conduct, which condemns dolphin harassment. Our teams also lead guided snorkel trips on the house reef as well as boat snorkel trips around the atoll, enlightening guests about the species they encounter. Why not join them?

Sustainable fisheries

We work with the reef fishers of Laamu Atoll to ensure all fish served on the resort’s menus are caught using sustainable fishing practices. Laamaseelu Masveriya means ‘exemplary fishermen’ in Dhivehi and is a code of conduct developed by Blue Marine Foundation for the fishers and the resort. This ensures that the entire process, from fishing to purchasing, is done sustainably.

In return, the local fishers’ livelihoods are protected, and they are rewarded through a benefits scheme. Over time the fishers collect points which can be used to purchase equipment such as new lines, ice buckets and lights. This is the first code of conduct of its kind in the Maldives and the hope is that other resorts will implement it too, creating a nation-wide sustainable reef fishing model. 

Seagrass

A survey suggests that over 50 percent of resorts in the Maldives actively remove their seagrass meadows. To address this, the Maldives Underwater Initiative (MUI), together with partners Blue Marine Foundation, collaborated with scientists to produce a seagrass monitoring protocol and campaigned to raise awareness, resulting in the protection of over 900,000 square meters of seagrass at resorts across the country.

Six Senses Laamu’s 115,000 square meters of seagrass meadows (16 soccer fields!) have been protected for several years, and the ecosystem is surveyed annually. These meadows are essential nursery grounds for many species of fish, rays and sharks, they are the primary diet for green sea turtles, they stabilize the sediment preventing erosion and they are one of the most effective carbon stores thus are vital in the fight against climate change.

Coral

In 2016, the sea rose beyond a bearable temperature for corals, particularly those in the tropics. This resulted in a loss of over 75 percent of shallow water corals in Maldives. Six Senses Laamu has since conducted a survey of our house reef every six months, focusing on corals, fish and invertebrates. The results from this contribute to a national project run by the Maldives Government.

Beyond this, we also conducted a reef restoration project and are currently investigating species diversity and the natural replenishment of the reefs, starting with coral spawning, which is not well known in the Maldives. We hope that the results of our research will contribute towards better a understanding of coral reefs at a national level, feeding into better marine resource management.

Plastic free Laamu Atoll

Some of the ways we reduce our waste include encouraging our suppliers to reduce packaging when delivering supplies and ordering in bulk whenever possible, banning single-use plastics and recycling all organic waste for mulching and converting to organic garden soil.

We are one of only three hotels in the world that makes its own artisan chocolate, thus allowing us to eliminate all packaging. The same goes for microgreens, mushrooms and many types of vegetables, which we produce onsite. We also fund many plastic free initiatives. Water filters sponsored by the resort eliminate the need for approximately 6 million plastic water bottles in Laamu atoll each year. We support L. Maamendhoo’s Women Development Committee which employs local tailors to produce reusable cotton bags for all households on their island, thus reducing plastic waste and creating new jobs in the community. In L. Kunahandhoo, reusable bags are also distributed to schools, recruiting a new generation of plastic free ambassadors!  

Eku Eky community forum

Eku-Eky, or ‘together’ in the local language of Dhievehi, is an initiative to strengthen relationships with Laamu Atoll communities, work towards sustainable development and achieve environmental conservation. 

Through Eku Eky quarterly meetings, representatives from the atoll council and 11 island councils, women’s development committees, 13 schools, 5 police stations, and active local NGOs, come together to represent the voices of Laamu’s 18,500 residents. In recent years, we have seen a shift, with the ownership of this program moving away from the resort and into the hands of the community. The result is an open platform from which ideas can be shared and life can be improved for all residents of Laamu Atoll.

Laamu’s citizen scientists

Empowering the local community to be involved in conservation efforts is critical in order for it to be a success. In 2019, BLUE launched a citizen science program called Laamaseelu Farudhun to do just that. It translates to ‘exemplary citizens’ in Dhivehi and aims to train local community groups to understand and take ownership of their island’s natural resources, including coral reefs, seagrass and mangroves. 

The first session on seagrass monitoring brought together government, NGOs, and higher education from most islands in Laamu. Following the instructions, participants felt so confident to carry out their own surveys that the first independent survey took place on Fonadhoo island shortly thereafter.

Water for all

Fifty percent of water sales in all restaurant outlets goes into a project fund providing clean, reliable drinking water to local communities in need. This fund contributed to a reverse osmosis water plant to the regional hospital, thirty household water filters to a local island and larger water filters to all 23 schools and preschools in the atoll. In 2019, water filters were donated to all five of Laamu Atoll’s police stations and one Maldives National University - Gan Campus, providing plastic-free drinking water to 380 more people. This brings the total number of filters donated to date to 97, providing clean, plastic-free drinking water to the entire atoll, and avoiding an estimated 6.8 million single-use plastic water bottles annually. 

Hello Hallu Education Program

Hello Hallu means ‘hello solution’ in Dhivehi. The program educates school students about the environmental issues facing their communities and encourages them to devise solutions to tackle these problems and mitigate their detrimental impacts. Hello Hallu focuses on promoting gender equality, as well as developing practical skills such as such as swimming, snorkeling and experiencing the marine environment first-hand. Since the program was launched, we have brought 568 students on snorkeling excursions, around half being female students.