UK children to name Maldives coral reef

Oliver Marre, The Observer The Guardian 24 May 09;

British children are being given the opportunity to name a new laboratory-grown coral reef in the Indian Ocean. The venture is part of a campaign by President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives to draw attention to the dangers posed by human activity to ocean ecosystems.

Each island on the Maldives is protected by coral, which is under threat from rising carbon emissions. To counteract this, the process of "underwater gardening" is being pioneered, where new coral is grown in a "nursery" and then planted.

The competition, being run at the Hay Festival, will provide the name for a new reef being planted off Nakatcha Fushi island.