Known for its bold experience and vibrant reef life, W Maldives is diving deeper into sustainability with a high-impact collaboration aimed at restoring and improving the resilience of one of the Maldives’ best and its award-winning house reefs. In partnership with MARS Sustainable Solutions, the resort will out plant 6,000 coral fragments, helping to restore over 400 square meters of coral reef in a bold reef restoration initiative beginning 25 October 2025. This marks the second-largest single MARS Reef Star deployment event in the Maldives to date.
“More than half of the world’s coral reefs have disappeared in the past 30 years, and with up to 90% at risk by 2050, the need for urgent action has never been greater.” But there is hope. For over 15 years, MARS Sustainable Solutions has worked with local communities, scientists, NGOs, businesses, and governments to restore reef ecosystems globally. The solution, MARRS (Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System), centers around the Reef Star, a coral-sand-coated hexagonal structure designed to provide a strong platform to facilitate rapid coral growth and the reestablishment of the reef community.
At W Maldives, the installation is designed to complement and enhance the natural biodiversity of its iconic, award-winning house reef, celebrated by divers and snorkelers as one of the most abundant and accessible reef ecosystems in the country.
“Our reef is more than a backdrop to the W experience, it’s a living force that inspired everything we do,” says Amila Handunwala, General Manager of W Maldives. “This partnership with MARS is just the beginning of a broader commitment to preserve the natural wonder that surrounds us, not only for our guests today but for generations to come.”
The impact of MARRS is both immediate and long-term. At Hope Reef, MARS’ flagship site in Indonesia, Reef Stars have helped boost coral cover from under 5% to over 70%, with a 58% increase in the number of fish species (according to MARS monitoring data). Globally, the MARS team and its partners have deployed over 87,000 Reef Stars, planted more than 1.3 million coral fragments, and engaged partners in 72 reef sites across 12 countries and five continents. The W Maldives activation will take place over five days and includes participation from a local NGO bringing local ecological expertise, community perspective, and wisdom. Joining the restoration effort is Kaushiik Subramaniam, award-winning wildlife filmmaker and conservation biologist, who will document the installation and host a screening of his powerful documentary, Peixinho (Little Fish)—a story of ocean stewardship and intergenerational change set on the coast of Mozambique.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with W Maldives in restoring one of the most biologically rich areas in the country,” says Kate Janetski, Marine Program Lead for Maldives & Caribbean, andGlobal Training Manager Mars Sustainable Solutions. “This project represents what can be achieved through strong partnerships, enabling science-based coral reef restoration that is aligned with a long-term vision and a sustained commitment to ocean stewardship.”
This reef restoration effort is part of W Maldives’ evolving sustainability strategy, which includes solar panel installation, a biogas plant, and a further expansion of the reef restoration program by 2026. Each initiative is designed to deepen the connection between guests and nature, not just through luxury, but through responsibility.
