MNU partners with Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru to create a living laboratory in the heart of the Indian Ocean

The Maldives National University (MNU) and Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru have formalized a partnership that seeks to address the Maldives’ most pressing marine conservation challenges by creating a living laboratory in the heart of the Indian Ocean.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MNU and Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru was signed on Tuesday by MNU’s Vice Chancellor Dr. Aishath Shehenaz Adam and Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru’s General Manager Elias Pertoft in a ceremony held at the national university’s central campus in Male’ City.

According to MNU, the partnership is one that redefines private-academic collaboration in marine conservation, by merging the resources of a world-class luxury eco-resort with the academic excellence of the nation’s leading university, creating a living laboratory in the heart of the Indian Ocean.

The collaboration transforms Banyan Tree’s expansive house reef and surrounding lagoon into a research hub. MNU students and faculty gain direct access to diverse and pristine marine ecosystems, enabling immersive, field-based studies in real-world conditions.

According to the MNU, joint research initiatives that will be carried out under the partnership are strategically designed to address the Maldives’ most pressing conservation challenges.

This includes coral reef health monitoring to evaluate resilience against bleaching events and longitudinal population studies of megafauna such as reef sharks and sea turtles.

By co-designing research questions, MNU and Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru seeks to ensure that the science directly informs the resort’s conservation management strategies, delivering immediate, practical impact alongside long-term ecological insights.

The partnership goes beyond research.

Through the Banyan Tree Marine Lab, MNU students are offered professional internships and hands-on training in scientific diving, ecological monitoring, and conservation techniques under the guidance of resident marine biologists.

This invaluable experience is expected to equip the next generation of Maldivian marine scientists with the skills and confidence to lead the country’s conservation efforts into the future.

Through this partnership, Banyan Tree Maldives and MNU seek to set a regional precedent for sustainable, mutually beneficial collaborations between the private sector and academia, demonstrating how eco-tourism can directly contribute to the advancement of science, education, and conservation in the Maldives.