Seagrass in the Maldives: why the meadows matter

Seagrass is not seaweed. Seaweeds are algae. Seagrasses are true flowering plants, related to land plants, that returned to the sea. They have roots, leaves and tiny flowers, and they spread through runners under the sand.

In the Maldives they appear as green, ribbon-like blades growing in patches or wide meadows in calm, shallow water. From a jetty they look like dark shapes in a bright turquoise lagoon.

A 2024 study in the journal Scientific Reports, led by researchers mapping the country’s meadows by satellite, lists at least eight seagrass species recorded in the Maldives, including:

• *Thalassia hemprichii*, a common, sturdy species with curved, strap-shaped leaves
• *Thalassodendron ciliatum*, which grows on short, woody stems
• *Syringodium isoetifolium*, with thin, round, spaghetti-like leaves
• *Cymodocea rotundata* and *Halodule uninervis*, flat-leaved species of shallow sand
• *Halophila ovalis*, a tiny species with paddle-shaped leaves, often mistaken for a weed

You do not need to tell them apart. Several species often grow together, and each meadow is a living system, not “dirty” water.

Food for turtles

Green turtles graze on seagrass. A healthy meadow near an island is one of the most reliable places to see a turtle feeding slowly in shallow water. The Ministry of Tourism and Environment’s director of protected areas has pointed out that the seagrass where turtles feed should be thought about together with the beaches where they nest. For more on species and behaviour, see our sea turtles guide.

Nurseries for fish

The blades and roots make a sheltered maze. Young reef fish, crabs, shrimps and sea cucumbers use meadows as nurseries before moving out to the reef. Researchers are now studying how juvenile reef fish use Maldivian meadows.

Carbon, sand and coastlines

Seagrass covers a tiny share of the world’s seafloor but stores a large share of ocean carbon in its roots and the sediment below. The 2024 study notes it accounts for up to around 18% of the carbon buried in the ocean while covering about 0.1% of the seabed.

Meadows also matter to the islands themselves:

• They slow waves and currents, which helps reduce beach erosion.
• They trap fine sediment, keeping lagoon water clearer over time.
• The small animals and plants living on the blades produce carbonate sand, which helps maintain reef island shorelines.

For low-lying islands, that last point is not a small one.

Seagrass is declining in much of the world; the Maldives is an exception. The 2024 satellite study, using freely available Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery, found that shallow-water seagrass roughly tripled between 2000 and 2021, from about 37 km² to over 100 km² (it gives about 105 km² as the 2021 extent).

Some key findings:

• About three-quarters of the country’s seagrass lies in the southern half of the Maldives.
• Huvadhoo, Laamu and Meemu atolls hold about two-thirds of the total.
• Seagrass was far more likely to grow on reef platforms with inhabited islands than on uninhabited ones.

Why near people? The researchers suggest nutrients from sewage and fertiliser, plus changes in sediment from coastal works such as land reclamation, may be helping meadows spread. That is not all good news. Too many nutrients can trigger algal blooms that block light and smother seagrass, so scientists have called for careful local monitoring.

National growth also hides local losses. As reported in 2025, a review of historical seagrass sites in the central and southern atolls found that several had declined, mainly through coastal development and removal for looks.

Why seagrass was cleared

For years, seagrass was routinely pulled out of lagoons at some resorts. The reason was mainly about appearance: the “perfect” Maldives image is a bright, empty sandy lagoon, and loose blades washing onto the beach were seen as untidy. The 2024 study describes this removal as routine and largely unreported.

The pressure now reaches local islands too. As guesthouses open, there is a push to clear seagrass from designated swimming areas and bikini beaches. A senior official at the Ministry of Tourism and Environment has said that in many communities seagrass is still seen as dirty or swampy, and has called for outreach to guesthouse operators, island councils and residents, not only resorts.

What has changed

• 2019: a voluntary campaign, supported publicly by the Ministry of Tourism, saw more than 30 resorts, about a quarter of the country’s high-end properties, pledge to protect their seagrass, covering over 830,000 m² of meadow (Edition, June 2019).
• July 2025: a new voluntary scheme run by Maldives Resilient Reefs, a local conservation charity, was launched at a ceremony on Dhiffushi, our own island. Seventeen resorts pledged to protect at least 80% of their baseline seagrass, map it, monitor it and teach staff and guests about it (Visit Maldives corporate news, July 2025).
• Rules on works: projects that dig up lagoons, such as dredging, reclamation, or creating beach and swimming areas, generally require an environmental impact assessment under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (Law 4/93) and the EIA regulations.
• National targets: seagrass is not yet listed as a key priority habitat, but the government has said it counts towards the Maldives’ “30 by 30” goal of protecting 30% of marine areas by 2030.

In short, there is no blanket legal ban on removing seagrass, but the direction of travel is clearly towards keeping it. See protected areas of the Maldives for how marine protection works more widely.

You do not need a boat trip. Seagrass is a lagoon habitat, so the best places are usually:

• Shallow lagoons beside local islands, often on the calmer, inner (atoll-facing) side.
• Areas near harbours and village shorelines, where the sand is fine and the water sheltered.
• The edges of swimming areas, where meadows begin a few metres out.

Patches grow across the country, including North Malé Atoll. Ask your guesthouse or a local guide where the nearest patch is, and whether turtles have been seen there lately. Mid to high tide in calm weather usually gives the best visibility. Our snorkelling guide covers kit and safety, and on Dhiffushi the diving and snorkelling guide shows the island’s own spots.

Seagrass snorkelling is gentler than reef snorkelling. Float slowly and look closely: you may spot a turtle grazing, a ray resting on the sand, juvenile fish darting between blades, or a sea cucumber ploughing through the sediment.

A few simple habits protect the meadows and the animals that use them:

• Float, do not stand. Feet, fins and knees crush blades and stir up sediment. In very shallow water, swim on the surface or move around the meadow.
• Keep your distance from turtles. Never touch or chase them, and do not block their way to the surface. Feeding rays is banned.
• Do not pull up seagrass to “tidy” a swimming spot, and do not take shells, sea cucumbers or other animals. Many marine products need a permit to leave the country, so leave everything where it is.
• Keep boats off the meadows. If you hire a boat or kayak, ask the crew to avoid dropping anchor on seagrass, and paddle around shallow patches at low tide.
• Do not complain about it. Washed-up blades are part of a healthy lagoon, and telling your host you enjoyed the seagrass helps change the idea that it should be cleared.
• Follow local rules: swimwear only on bikini beaches; cover up elsewhere.

For more on low-impact travel, read our responsible travel guide. If you would like to help monitor meadows or reefs, the volunteering and citizen science guide explains how such programmes usually work, and our coral reefs guide shows how lagoons and reefs fit together.