Environmental Initiatives

We take several steps to ensure that our coral reefs are well taken care of. Clear snorkel channels are indicated on our island map. The channels themselves are marked by signs, entrances, flags and buoys. Information about the snorkelling experience and the correct do’s and don’ts are provided to each guest in their native language and is made available at our Eco Centre, Marine Shop and the guest lounges which is also where guests can pick up masks, snorkels and fins. Additionally regular reef patrol and regular reef clean up sessions are arranged.

Kuramathi fully supports ‘catch and release’ policies in Big Game Fishing. We are also one of very few resorts which do not offer Night Fishing as an excursion. We take pride in our decision and our part to protect our pristine surroundings.

The Eco Centre and Bageecha kids club jointly conducts programs during the week to teach our younger guests all about our environment and especially focused on marine life, flora and fauna of Kuramathi Maldives. Mondays are ‘Fish & Ocean Days’ where children learn about the different fish. Older children also have a chance to go on a guided snorkel trip on the house reef. On Wednesdays, they celebrate ‘Kuramathi Day’ and the children are able to walk around the island and learn about the many varieties of trees and animals on the island.

Exploring the underwater world is also available for children of 8 years and above. This program is a soft introduction where children go down to only 2 metres. The “Bubblemaker” course allows children to put on a mini set of dive gear and swim under the surface making lots of bubble, whilst children of 10, can also obtain a junior diving certification.

As many of our guests love to learn about the different fish life, we have a dedicated section on our website giving information on diverse range of fish and corals in the Maldives. It shows pictures and gives interesting information about the sometimes peculiar behaviour of these fascinating creatures.

Click here to visit marine life section.

In order to minimise the use of plastic, in 2011, we installed a bottling plant and started producing our own potable water that we serve to the guests and team members. We follow a stringent three-stage water purification process ensuring the highest quality and standard. The final product is a Still and Sparkling water in Kuramathi glass water bottles available in two sizes which we offer to our guests. We also serve this water in all our offices, team restaurants and areas for our 1000+ team members! Reusing Kuramathi glass bottles made our carbon footprint smaller and reduced the usage of about 300,000 plastic bottles that are discarded every year. In addition, Kuramathi now serves paper straws in all bars as part of its sustainability program. We have also started using bigger and refillable containers for our guest toiletries, and due to the size of the resort, it is being done over phases. Our plastic waste is collected and sent to Parley for recycling. Parley is an organization committed to reducing and recycling plastic waste, with whom we have been working since 2017.

Our Hydroponic Garden, built on already cleared land on the island is where we grow, and harvest more than 500 kilograms of salad greens and herbs every month served in our team and guests buffets. Maintained by our resident horticulturist and his team, the garden produce salad greens and herbs such as red lettuce, green lettuce, green basil, purple basil, Thai basil, mint, coriander, dill, small basil, watercress, edible flowers, cherry tomato, chili, rocket leaves, pak choi, mizuna, tomato, curry leaves, banana, cabbage leaves and bilimbi.

Measures have also been put in place to ensure recycling of grey water. The water is treated and purified and reused in the gardens and for flush tanks.

We use our organic waste materials in a process whereby we turn this waste into humus-like substance called compost. It is rich in nutrients and promotes plant growth. This process known as composting also reduces waste and cut down on our overall trash.

Rasdhoo Island is the only local island in this tiny atoll and our closest neighbour. Kuramathi gives many employment opportunities to the islanders of Rasdhoo. Additionally, several initiatives have been taken in the past to assist with the community in different projects. In our efforts to assist the islanders of Rasdhoo in keeping their island clean, Kuramathi financially supports the organisation responsible for island development as well.

Kuramathi buys a large portion of fruits and vegetables from another neighbouring island Thoddoo, just outside the atoll, located 1 hour from Kuramathi.

We also hold regular visual presentations for school children at the Eco Centre on varied subjects from marine topics to ways of protecting our fragile ecosystem.