The Maldivian President who dived underwater with his cabinet has givena new light to the association between Maldives and ‘environment’. The worldnow knows how dependent the Maldives is on its natural environment.
The environment has a direct affect on all facets of a Maldivian’s life.The islands are protected by thousands  of reefs that need to be alive for this unique archipelago to exist in future. The corals on our reefs need its countlessinhabitants to feed on them for the corals to re-grow. Locals need the fish in the water for livelihood and they depend on the beauty of its reefs and islands to sustain our tourism industry. Most importantly, the Maldives needs its citizens and visitors to take care of its wonderful natural environment in order to survive
as one of the most magical places on earth.
Several government regulations have been set up to enable a system to provide natural protection for the otherwise fragile 1,190 islands of Maldives. Important marine areas are selected as protected regions, starting from 1995. Endangered marine species like the whale shark, turtles, dolphins as well as corals are also protected by law. Hanifaru, a bay like lagoon in Baa atoll of Maldives, is among the most recently protected marine areas. This area is home to rays from around the Maldives that gather here to feast on the masses of
planktons brought into the lagoon by water currents.