A year has passed since the first coral was replanted in the Passikudah Bay by Maalu Maalu Resort and Spa’s, ‘Plant a Coral’ project. When we first spoke about the corals, one thing that stood out was how heartbreaking it was that the bay and its waters were so beautiful, and yet the coral lay shattered and broken underneath.

Twelve months later, the underwater landscape has changed so much, one would hardly recognize the place. The Plant a Coral project has managed to rebuild the reef over an extent about 300 m2 on the sea bed. Almost all the fish that we see in the healthy reef further down the coastline is are also present here, which means that the fish agree that this reef is alive and a good source of sustenance.

The artificially restored area is full of ornamental fish, who have been lured back to play among the beautiful live corals. The once dead area is teaming with marine activity and the sea is alive once again.

Maalu Maalu Resort and Spa along with UNDP-GEF Small Grants Programme and the Wildlife Research and Conservation Trust (WRCT) helped spearhead this project with the able assistance of volunteers from the University of Peradeniya guided by Prof. K B Ranawana, Department of Zoology. The waste cement is provided by Tokyo Cement as a part of their sustainable initiative for this one-of–a-kind marine conservation project.