Earth Day took place on April 22nd, and this year’s theme was Restore Our Earth. The theme focused on natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. Zoom Vacations celebrated Earth Day by donating a coral frame in the Maldives, helping revitalize one of Earth’s vital natural ecosystem, under the sea. With the help of marine biologists at the Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru, we attached small pieces of coral to metal frames coated with fiberglass and sand. We then placed it into the ocean near the island, where our little coral reef will grow, and in three years the frame itself may not even be visible.

A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Each year at the end of the ‘dry’ North East monsoon, the Maldives archipelago experiences an increase in sea surface temperatures and the effects of this can be observed on the coral reefs. Each year there is some paling in color of the corals and even a little bleaching, with some colonies turning completely white. However, the sea surface temperatures during 2016 reached a new high of approximately 34C. This unusually high temperature was due in part to the El Niño in the Pacific Ocean, and caused extreme damage to the coral reef ecosystems. Prior to 2016, the last major El Niño event was documented in 1998, which resulted in the approximate death of 95% of the coral in the Maldives.

Our Zoom Vacations coral reef frame was built using fragments from coral colonies that are more resilient to the effects of temperature change. Every six months we will receive an underwater photo, documenting the progress of our coral reef frame. We are excited to watch it grow and flourish!

If you would like to get involved, including donating your own coral frame from home, please got the following link: https://reefscapers.com/coral-frame-sponsorship/?fbclid=IwAR3JU1oYbJGZjjzfVOBA83Q4-GIBabSof9M4d0ARonmkQo0z7su6PeCcwx0

Even better, if you prefer to go to the Maldives and place the coral wreath in person we have spent a lot of time creating a collection of Maldives hotels where we offer amazing prices and amenities if your stay is booked through Zoom Vacations.

Together, we can make the world a better place.