Landaa Giraavaru

Landaa Giraavaru is one of the Maldive Islands, located in the northeast of Baa Atoll. Surrounded by a white sand beach and a wide coral reef, its waters are quiet and shallow, and shelter an important biodiversity.

The closest inhabited islands are Kamadhoo in the southeast and Kudarikilu in the northwest, but there are also numerous desert islands around, such as Thiladhoo, Milhaidhoo or Madhirivaadhoo in the south, which offer as many diving sites with spectacular biodiversity.

Landaa Giraavaru is approximately 600 meters in length from east to west, and 200 meters at its maximum width; its maximum height does not exceed 2 meters. It mostly consists of sand, which makes it a motu. The beaches that surround the island are protected by a coral reef that stretches westward, in a relatively long and little wave-cut platform made of sand and coral rubble.

Landaa Giraavaru is covered with dense tropical vegetation, including in particular takamakas, coconut palm trees and screwpines. This vegetation shelters many animal species such as geckos, frigate birds, crabs, hermit crabs, dragon lizards, butterflies and dragonflies. It is also inhabited by a big ground bird, the white-breasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus), as well as by numerous giant Indian flying foxes (Pteropus giganteus). All these animals are perfectly harmless.

A typical underwater landscape of Baa atoll close to Landaa Giraavaru, with a hawksbill turtle and a Maldivian clownfish in its anemone.

The island is located inside the "Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve", designated by the UNESCO in 2011.[1] Its shallow waters, particularly rich in coral, fish and an important population of whale sharks and manta rays have gained the atoll a reputation for exceptional diving.[1] The ecosystem is characterized by a very high cover rate coral, very diverse and dominated by several species of tabular, branching or digitate corals of the genus Acropora. In addition to a high number of pelagics, the surrounding waters shelter many large marine animals such as sea turtles, dolphins, moray eels, tuna and groupers. This atoll is also famous for important populations of spectacular big animals such as whale sharks and manta rays.[2]

The resort shelters its own "Marine Discovery Centre" with several full-time biologists, scientific divers and researchers, managed by local environmental organization Seamarc/Marine savers.[3] Particular projects of focus include the care and rehabilitation of wounded animals (turtles, cetaceans),[4] surveys of the local macrofauna (turtles, rays, whale sharks[2]) and an ambitious program of reimplantation of coral in damaged areas (known onsite as Reefscapers),[5] mostly funded by tourists.[6] The MDC also provides popularization course and conferences about marine life, aimed at resort guests, local islanders and marine biology apprentices.[7]