LANDAA GIRAAVARU ATOLL BAA, MALDIVES

The Baa Atoll, Maldives has been declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve – an area of natural excellence recognised for its unique harmony between man and nature.

It now joins an illustrious list of international Biosphere Reserves including: the Central Amazon (Brazil), Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), Niagara Escarpment (Canada) and Yellowstone National Park (United States) among others.

World Biosphere Reserves are places where conservation, research and development successfully interconnect. They integrate biological and cultural diversity, combining core protected areas with zones where sustainable development – and innovative approaches to it – are fostered, tested and developed by locals and enterprises alike.
During its designation at the 40th anniversary of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme in Dresden, Germany in June 2011, UNESCO recognised the Baa Atoll’s “great potential for demonstrating sustainable development throughout the Maldives and the region, while relying on a green economy.”
The Baa Atoll is home to some of the richest waters in the Maldives. Like many Baa Atoll inhabitants, the team at Four Seasons Resort Landaa Giraavaru worked on numerous essential plans and assessments to assist the Maldivian government’s Atoll Ecosystem Conservation Project’s (AEC Project) goal for UNESCO status.

Rapa Nui - the world's top 5 of mystical places

The Rapa Nui or Rapanui are the native Polynesian inhabitants of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, in the Pacific Ocean. The easternmost Polynesian culture, the Rapa Nui people make up 60% of Easter Island's population, with some living also in mainland Chile. They speak Spanish (which is the most widely spoken language in Easter Island as well a the primary language of education and the language of administration) and Rapa Nui language. At the 2002 census there were 3,304 island inhabitants—almost all living in the village of Hanga Roa on the sheltered west coast. As of 2011, Rapa Nui's main source of income derived from tourism, which focuses on the giant sculptures called Moai. Some fruits are grown for local use.

Rapa Nui activist have been fighting for their right to self-determination and possession of the island. Recent protests by the indigenous Rapa Nui on Easter Island against Chilean rule has led to violence against the Rapa Nui by the Chilean army.