A History of Marine Protection
The Maldives has a long, if sometimes uneven, history of protecting its marine environment. The first formal marine protected areas were established in the 1990s, when the government designated 25 dive sites as protected zones where fishing, anchoring, and coral collection were prohibited. These early protections were driven in part by the growing dive tourism industry, which recognised that healthy reefs and abundant marine life were the country's most valuable assets.
Over the decades, the scope of protection has expanded significantly. Export of reef fish for the aquarium trade was banned, coral mining for construction was phased out, and turtle harvesting was prohibited nationwide. In 2010, the Maldives made global headlines by declaring its entire exclusive economic zone a shark sanctuary — one of the first countries in the world to do so. Each step reflected a growing understanding that the ocean is not just the backdrop to Maldivian life but the very foundation of it.
Key Protected Sites
Among the most celebrated marine protected areas in the Maldives is Hanifaru Bay, a small inlet in Baa Atoll where manta rays and whale sharks gather in extraordinary numbers during the southwest monsoon. When conditions are right — strong currents pushing plankton into the bay — dozens of mantas can be seen feeding together in a swirling vortex, sometimes joined by whale sharks. Hanifaru Bay is strictly managed: only snorkelling is permitted (no scuba), visitor numbers are capped, and boats must stay outside the bay.
The South Ari Atoll Marine Protected Area is another cornerstone of Maldivian conservation. This stretch of the southern Ari Atoll outer reef is one of the few places in the world where whale sharks can be reliably seen year-round. A resident population of juvenile whale sharks feeds on the plankton-rich waters along the atoll edge, and a careful management plan balances tourism access with the sharks' need for undisturbed feeding.
Other important protected areas include the dive sites of North Male Atoll — HP Reef, Banana Reef, and Lions Head — which were among the first to receive formal protection and remain some of the most visited dive sites in the country. Across the archipelago, additional sites have been added over the years, covering a range of habitats from outer reef walls to inner lagoon coral gardens.
The Shark Sanctuary
The Maldives' shark sanctuary, established in 2010, prohibits all shark fishing throughout the country's territorial waters — an area of roughly 90,000 square kilometres. This was a landmark decision. Sharks had been heavily fished in previous decades, primarily for their fins, and populations had declined noticeably. The sanctuary gave sharks across the entire archipelago a chance to recover.
The results have been encouraging. Dive operators and researchers report increasing shark sightings at many sites, and species like grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, and nurse sharks are now common at healthy reef sites. The protection also extended to hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, and whale sharks — species that are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because of their slow reproductive rates.
Enforcement remains a challenge in such a vast ocean territory, but the sanctuary has shifted cultural attitudes significantly. Shark fishing, once seen as a normal part of island life, is now widely recognised as incompatible with both conservation and the tourism economy that employs a large share of the population.
How MPAs Work and Are Enforced
Marine protected areas in the Maldives operate under various levels of restriction. Some are strict no-take zones where all extractive activities are prohibited. Others allow limited fishing but ban destructive practices like net fishing or anchoring on coral. Dive sites typically have regulations covering maximum group sizes, approach distances for marine life, and requirements for guide supervision.
Enforcement is handled through a combination of government patrols, resort monitoring, and community reporting. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maldives Police Service are responsible for enforcement at the national level, while atoll and island councils play a role at the local level. In practice, dive centres and resort staff are often the first to spot violations, and the tight-knit nature of island communities means that illegal activities are difficult to hide.
At high-profile sites like Hanifaru Bay, dedicated rangers are stationed during peak season to manage visitor numbers, brief snorkellers on rules of conduct, and ensure that boats do not enter restricted zones. These on-site management programmes have proven effective at reducing disturbance to wildlife while still allowing visitors to experience these remarkable places.
Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
In 2011, Baa Atoll became the first — and so far only — UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Maldives. The designation recognises the atoll's exceptional biodiversity, including its globally important manta ray and whale shark aggregations, its healthy coral reefs, and the integration of conservation with sustainable livelihoods for the roughly 12,000 people who live there.
The Biosphere Reserve is managed through a zoning system that includes core protected areas (like Hanifaru Bay), buffer zones where limited activities are allowed, and transition zones where sustainable development and traditional livelihoods continue. The model is designed to show that conservation and community development can go hand in hand — that protecting the ocean does not mean locking people out of it.
The Baa Atoll designation has brought international attention and funding, supporting research, monitoring, and community-based conservation projects. It serves as a model for what could eventually be replicated in other atolls across the Maldives.
Benefits for Marine Life and Tourism
The evidence is clear that marine protected areas work. Within protected zones, coral cover tends to be higher, fish are more abundant and larger, and keystone species like sharks and manta rays are more frequently encountered. These benefits spill over into surrounding areas, as fish populations within MPAs produce larvae and juveniles that disperse to adjacent reefs.
For tourism, healthy MPAs are a powerful draw. The Maldives consistently ranks among the world's top dive destinations, and the abundance of marine life at protected sites is a major reason why. Divers and snorkellers are willing to pay premium prices for the chance to swim with mantas, sharks, and turtles in crystal-clear water — and that economic value far exceeds what could be gained from extractive fishing at the same sites. Healthy reefs also support reef ecosystems that benefit everyone.
Challenges and Future Plans
Despite progress, marine protection in the Maldives faces significant challenges. Enforcement capacity is stretched thin across a vast ocean territory. Climate change and coral bleaching threaten even the best-protected reefs. Illegal fishing — both by local boats and foreign vessels — remains a concern, particularly in remote southern atolls. And balancing tourism pressure with conservation goals requires constant vigilance, especially at popular sites.
Looking ahead, the government has committed to expanding the network of marine protected areas and improving management effectiveness at existing sites. There are plans to establish new large-scale protected zones, strengthen enforcement through technology like satellite monitoring and drone surveillance, and develop more community-based management models following the Baa Atoll example.
International partnerships with organisations like the IUCN, Blue Marine Foundation, and Manta Trust continue to provide technical support and funding. The goal is ambitious but clear: to ensure that the marine environment that defines the Maldives — its reefs, its sharks, its mantas, its crystal waters — remains healthy and vibrant for generations to come. You can read more about broader reef conservation efforts across the archipelago.