Addu atoll hosts a number of ecosystems and is famous for its versatile coral reefs. To safeguard this rich coral ecosystem is of priority to the Project and it is essential that these corals be relocated to safety prior start of marine construction activities. For correct estimation on the number and type of corals that would be relocated, a marine survey was conducted in July 2022. A marine specialist firm, with competence and project experience throughout the Maldives was hired to conduct this survey.
During the survey an assessment of coral colonies present in the construction footprint and potential recipient sites was performed. The survey was done by snorkelling and included zonation of land creation areas and buffer zones (200m) based on satellite and drone imagery. Each zone is then in investigated through number of quadrat replicates representative of the zone.
The survey in July was successfully executed and the team was able to provide sufficient details on the existing coral habitat. An attempt to classify the corals based on both size and species was made. This data is now being put to use in coming up with the best suited strategy for coral relocation. It is also used in selection the most efficient layout for silt screen deployment and turbidity management.
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