BLUE & 2 GREEN LAAMU Marine Biology & Sustainability Newsletter September 2019

Laamafaru Festival, the highlight of September, was held at L. Maamendhoo school and had over 1,500 participants Marine Biology & Sustainability Newsletter Marine Biology & Sustainability Newsletter Six Senses Laamu 2 Six Senses Laamu 3

Maldives Underwater Initiative organized interactive stalls themed around the three LAAMAFARU FESTIVAL important ecosystems in Laamu: coral reefs, seagrass, and mangroves. Students and other For the past three years, Laamu Turtle Festival has raised awareness visitors learned how these three habitats are about sea turtles and has brought thousands of people together to each vital to the health of the entire atoll and pledge Turtles in Laamu – Safe and Protected. In order to safeguard the people who live there, ranging from food for the from the negative effects of climate change, Six Senses turtles, protection of islands, and fighting climate Laamu recognizes the growing need to raise awareness about the change. Other organizations with stalls included conservation of entire marine ecosystems and the services they Olive Ridley Project, Manta Trust, Blue Marine provide. It is with this in mind that this year, local stakeholders in Foundation, Maldives Whaleshark Research voted to broaden the scope of the 4th annual festival to Project, Environmental Protection Agency, Laamafaru Festival, or ‘Laamu’s Reefs Festival’ in Dhivehi, with the Maldives National Defense Force, and theme Our Ocean – Safe and Protected. School.

This community event has grown from the first ever atoll-wide turtle The students of Laamu performed The Laamu Story, a festival in 2016, gathering over 500 collection of significant natural and historical heritage skits attendees, to over 1,500 participants from each of their communities. Visit Laamu hosted the first from across all 11 islands in Laamu Laamu Photographer of the Year contest and received over Atoll in 2019. Students, parents, 80 entries capturing the diverse natural and cultural beauty and teachers from 13 schools, of Laamu Atoll. Girls and boys in under 12, under 14, and council representatives from 11 under 16 age groups competed in Laamu’s first atoll-wide islands, and over 200 volunteers, swim race, and, through a generous grant from Blueyou community members, government Consulting and REWE followfood, Manta Trust was able to officials, sponsors, businesses, purchase Mares snorkeling equipment for all 13 schools in and supporters of the event came Laamu. The hope is that with increased access to snorkeling together for the fourth year in a row, equipment and exposure to art and history depicting what this time on Laamu Maamendhoo makes Laamu unique, young people will gain a greater Island. appreciation for their atoll’s natural and cultural heritage. This festival, paired with Six Senses Laamu’s education The festival kicked off with an and outreach throughout the year, are key to inspiring the opening ceremony and speech by hearts and minds of Laamu’s residents to protect their atoll’s chief guest, Rafa Nazim. At just 16 resources. years old, she won the Maldives’ first gold medal in a team sport (table tennis) at the 2019 Indian Ocean This event would not be possible without Island Games. Rafa emphasized Maamendhoo school, council, police, and that young people have the power the entire island community coming together to make a difference in their to host the entire atoll. The festival has communities and accomplish things come so far since its inauguration in 2016; that have never been done before. She the ownership of the festival from the host also led Laamu Atoll’s sea creature island has grown, the participation from parade and #ClimateStrikeMV, organizations in Laamu has grown, and the in which festival attendees had enthusiasm from participants has grown an important message: “Laamu’s tremendously. The bonds formed between habitats of coral reefs, seagrass, all of the islands in Laamu Atoll behind a and mangroves protect our islands shared vision for a safe and protected marine against climate change!” The march environment are a testament to the past three was part of the global movement of years of working together, eku eky! over 7 million people, initiated by another 16 year old, climate activist, Relive the Laamafaru Festival by watching Greta Thunberg. the recap video here. Marine Biology & Sustainability Newsletter Marine Biology & Sustainability Newsletter Six Senses Laamu 4 Six Senses Laamu 5

OLIVE RIDLEY PROJECT AT LAAMAFARU FESTIVAL Olive Ridley Project spent much of September finalizing preparations for Laamafaru Festival, previously Laamu Turtle Festival. The festival was a huge success and following the MANTA ACTIVITIES transition to a broader ecosystem theme, our flippered friends were far from forgotten. AT LAAMAFARU FESTIVAL Nestled in the seagrass ecosystem zone, students had the opportunity At the Laamafaru festival last month, the Manta to learn more about the threats Trust team hosted a manta identification game. Since facing sea turtles, through an most manta encounters in Laamu are whilst diving, immensely popular “tilt-a turtle” the majority of children in Laamu have never had game. Players were tasked with the opportunity to swim with a manta. The activity navigating a ping pong ball featured Michele, the most frequently sighted manta turtle from the beach to the open in Laamu, and the kids had to add the spots in the ocean, avoiding threats and taking right place to make our blank manta ray identifiable. refuge in seagrass meadows. They had a great time moving the spots around and Threats included seagrass trying to make Michele look just right! removal, entanglement in ghost nets, artificial light and plastic The team also had some great conversations with pollution, and fuelled engaging local community members about manta sightings discussions about the potential around the atoll. Events like the festival are the perfect impact of these on Laamu’s turtle opportunity to share our work in Laamu and to learn population. from the community members who spend the most time on the water.

A firm favourite amongst the local community - owing largely to the success of previous festivals - turtles featured heavily in the sea creature/#climatestrikemv parade and Laamu Stories NEW MANTA PUP performances; a testament to the community’s enthusiasm and Guests at the end of September were surprised during commitment to protect sea turtles and their environment. their dive with a manta pup cruising through the dive site! In Laamu, the team typically records 4-5 new individuals each year and they have already identified four since January. Last year, eleven adult females were recorded as pregnant and the team is hoping to see a few more pups in the coming months.

Manta pups are born with a wingspan between 1.5- 2 meters and are completely independent from birth. The birth of a manta ray has never been recorded in the wild and researchers are not sure where and when pregnant females give birth. The gestation time is believed to be about 12 months, which we are hoping to better understand using the underwater ultrasound scanner at Six Senses Laamu.

The team is hoping to see this little manta again soon and will be naming the newest individual in Laamu at an upcoming guest event. Marine Biology & Sustainability Newsletter Marine Biology & Sustainability Newsletter Six Senses Laamu 6 Six Senses Laamu 7

URGENCY OF PROTECTING LAAMU’S INTERNATIONAL HABITATS THROUGH STORIES COASTAL The Laamu Stories, curated by BLUE at the Laamafaru Festival, covered stories of how Laamu’s culture and history is interwoven with the natural environment CLEANUP DAY of the atoll. Kids from 12 schools performed a variety International coastal cleanup day took place of stories in the form of dramas, songs, dances and on Saturday, September 21st. In preparation raivaru (traditional poetry). The stories started with a for Laamafaru Festival in Maamendhoo, over song about the special characteristics of the islands of 50 volunteers from the island and the resort Laamu, moving on to stories about life in the islands joined forces for a beach cleanup. as described in historical records, how people had to migrate between islands due to natural disasters, changes to the atoll’s biodiversity, challenges to protect Laamu’s habitats and the progress made over the past SEDIMENT DYNAMICS few years.

Rebranding the Festival to focus on Laamu’s habitats RESEARCH and marine life has helped to secure further community At Six Senses Laamu, MUI is collaborating with the resort buy-in for marine reserves in the atoll. 90% of the engineering team on a year long study assessing sediment kids evaluated at the Festival agreed that Laamu’s movement around the island, with the aim of better ecosystems need protecting. understanding how the island is changing over time and across seasons. Nearly all islands change shape over time, however this can often cause problems at local community CELEBRATING LAAMU’S GROUPERS and resort islands due to erosion in areas of the shoreline. The reaction to this is often to construct large concrete AND NAPOLEANS walls, artificial break-waters or use sand bags to maintain the beach, shoreline and protect buildings. Professor Yvonne Sadovy is one of the world- leading experts on reef fish spawning, particularly The study will measure the beach profile at 16 points for groupers and napoleon wrasses. She was one of around the island every month for one year. This, in the scientific advisors for BLUE’s grouper fishery addition to sediment traps, will help us understand and conservation project which was completed sediment movement. The results of this study should help in 2017. This project verified grouper spawning us to predict changes around the island. In doing so we aggregations in Laamu Atoll and provided will be able to implement minimal, preemptive methods recommendations to the government on national grouper fishery management. that will have a high impact on retaining the future of Six Senses Laamu’s beaches and shoreline. In her visit to Laamu, Professory Sadovy trained the MUI and the dive team on how to record citizen This month the MUI team interacted with 25% of guests at the science spawning behaviour data for these species and delivered two very interesting talks with the resort. An average of 8.48 megafauna were encountered across guests of Six Senses Laamu. snorkel and dive excursions with a total of 418 sharks, 372 turtles She also delivered a seminar in Male’ on the live and 207 rays sighted. reef fish trade of Hong Kong, where more than 90% of the Maldives live groupers are traded to. To learn more about Six Senses Laamu marine conservation and sustainability initiatives please contact

Megan O’ Beirne Sustainability Manager [email protected]

To stay up to date with the latest news, events and visiting experts follow Six Senses Laamu, Maldives Underwater Initiative and Deep Blue Divers on social media

Six Senses Laamu Olhuveli Island, Laamu Atoll, Maldives T +960 680 0800 F +960 680 0801 www.sixsenses.com