The Maldives holds more than 3% of the world’s coral reefs, and in 2025, luxury resorts are turning that natural wealth into a new symbol of prestige. Coral nurseries, floating platforms and large-scale farms are becoming as much a marker of high-end travel as overwater villas and infinity pools.

Photo credit: Depositphotos.

Diving through the Maldives, I’ve seen how nurseries rise out of the blue like underwater gardens. Coral fragments sway in grids below the surface, tended as carefully as any luxury resort. These living projects have become markers of progress, showing that prestige in the Maldives now includes restoring the reefs that define it.

Coral conservation as a luxury marker

Coral reefs shelter fish, protect shorelines and support millions of livelihoods in island nations.

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