Strangers. That’s how it all started. We were just random faces around a table listening to the person up front talking whilst taking a few notes here and there. 9 days. That is all it took for 13 interns and 3 chaperons to turn into a family by heart; a family worth of holding on to.
We came to Mauritius to educate ourselves more about the blue economy there and experience things the Mauritian way you could say. But, now sitting on this plane going home to Seychelles, it’s safe to say that, I appreciate my country much more and defending it and protecting it in any way I can, will be at the front of my mind every day. Mauritius isn’t huge if you look at it on a world map but compared to Seychelles it’s much larger. So, of course, creating awareness or getting people on board with “saving the ocean” won’t be as easy as it would in a small archipelago like Seychelles. These few days going to conferences, talks, visits and simply sitting on the hotel floor with the other interns joking around and playing domino or simply just messing around amongst ourselves made me realise how close we are, not as people but countries. Yes there’s a desert of sea between us but that’s it, the people are similar, the languages and our joie de vivre. Other than all the first hand experiences all of us interns and chaperones have gained, we are all back home with something much more valuable than experience, and that is, a new mind set. I for one already have my mug that I have started walking around everywhere since I landed yesterday to minimise the amount of plastic mugs and bottles I would have usually used, yes it’s not a big change and probably will only make a small difference but it sets an example and if we all try and do something small to make a change in this world we will see one. “Awareness is the key to greatness” Do something, anything no matter how small. Try, you would be surprised how many lives you might be saving just by not buying one plastic bottle. Till we meet again my fellow readers. Written by: Mariana Naya
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In Mauritius, a group of us attended a two-day training course in "Environment and Oceanography including Ocean Economy". On the first day, we visited a marine park in the north of Mauritius. Other than paddle boarding, we were quite disappointed at the touristic activities taking place. One of them is dolphin watching - as soon as a pod of dolphins was spotted, a bunch of boats cornered them. The impact of these activities was seen when snorkeling - the coral reef was basically deserted. However, we had a much better experience when visiting the south on the second day. We were definitely more impressed with the reef! Directed by Laura Montano Our day started with nine eager interns, a skipper and Mr Vaseen, who might I say, impressed all of us. He is an oceanographer, environmental engineer, part time lawyer, skipper, diver and a pilot at the same time. The fact that he was the first ever oceanographer and environmental engineer in Mauritius got us all gawking at him with astonishment.
All huddled up together in the fast moving vessel we were glued to our seats gripping onto any sort of support to hold us down, passing by the port and a vast variety of lava rocks, tunnels and caves but nothing got us standing up leaning over the railings of the boat except for one thing, dolphins! We had reached the dolphin watching area, which was the 4th sector of activities held in the Mauritian sea after industrial fishing at 3rd, big game fishing and artisanal fishing at 2nd and 1st. Heart beats increased and eyes widened as we watched these marvelous creatures swim around. Grey fins slashed through the surface of the blue waters glimmering in the hot sun in pods of five (A pod means a group of dolphins). Just a few feet away we watched as they came up for air then plunged back down into the surface gracefully, but we were brought back to reality when a large splash was made and the dolphins fled, that’s when I got out of my trance and actually looked around. Boats, groups of them around in a large circle cornering the beautiful mammals, tourists eager to touch and swim with this rarely seen event plunge directly into the water thus frightening the dolphins away. This creates a series of problems. First, there is anchoring in the ‘homes’ of the dolphins. Dropping anchor destroys corals and these are important in keeping the water quality in the area high, without these reefs water quality decreases thus affecting dolphins or any other living creature around. Second is obvious, disturbance. Boats pile up every day with people fascinated by them and jumping into the dolphins habitat just to get a chance to touch or swim with them. This creates a danger for humans and the dolphins. Why does this endanger humans you say? Well as dolphins aren’t originally described as dangerous or harmful creatures they can be rather dominant and protective over their home or partner, especially the alpha male. To them you’re an alien walking into their home so they will instinctively think of you as a threat depending on what you do, especially if there are females around. Dolphins have a brain almost the same size as a human brain so yes they are very smart in their own way. The first question I asked was about security and my answer was a disappointed frown and a “there’s none”. No coastguards were around to ensure the safety of the dolphins or people themselves, normally the law for harming and endangering a sea creature like dolphins is 5000 Mauritian rupees, but since the law was created a few years ago, no one has been fined. And there it was. We saw first hand dolphins being scared away from their own homes. “Imagine coming home after a long day with your family only to be bombarded with transports around you, cameras and people staring while trying to touch you, how would you feel?” Dolphin watching isn’t a crime at all, we all love dolphins. But before you follow, corner or actually jump into the water with a dolphin for your own self-satisfaction, think of how the dolphin is feeling first. Written by Mariana Naya Hello all (*waving enthusiastically*)It's me again! Sarah Purvis. The team of Blue Economy Ambassadors and our amazing Chaperones arrived safely to our home land. Except for me who was left stranded at the domestic terminal waiting for a delayed flight to go to Praslin island, my home. The weather was rainy and cold outside as I sat on the hard, metal chair contemplating the fruitful experience I had just disembarked . My eyes were droopy with sleepiness and my nose red and sensitive from the mild cold I was putting up with, yet all I could think of was the mass of knowledge and experience I had just gained, not to forget the amazing individuals I had had the honour of getting to know and who have helped enrich my understanding of the Blue Economy. But it hit me that it was not over, it was only the beginning, a beginning for change.
It's no news that Seychelles is surrounded by the ocean, but it is also surrounded by riches! So much resources such as oil and chemical compounds that could treat medical problems, food to feed us and other countries, a medium for shipping and travel, prospects for tidal energy and even scientific research vessels. But how do we exploit them in a suitable and sustainable way so that our future generations can also benefit from them? Do we really need to exploit them all at once? To my mind, economical aspects have to be taken into consideration beforehand. Since tourism is the main pillar of our economy we should be preserving what we already have so that it remains our main source of income because if tourism fails the next resort will be fisheries and our oceans will hence be put under a lot of pressure through overfishing and investments to drill up oil which thus will intensify the problem of global warming which the world is suffering from at this present moment. Let’s not forget that the Blue Economy is not only about oceans and not throwing rubbish in the sea. Its also about educating the people and sensitising our nation, without them the Blue Economy would not exist. Team work between fishermen, government officials, the public youth , NGOs, hotels, fishing vessels,entrepreneurs and international corporations to make this work is critical. Together we can do this and the future generations will remember us for it and be forever thankful. I have learnt so much from this journey and I hope that other youth will have this same opportunity next year. I am definitely going to choose a career path towards conservation, it will most likely be scientific. The Mauritius Oceanography Institute really caught my eye. It amazed me that a chemical compound found in sponges can treat a type of cancer of which I have hopelessly forgotten the name of, I was so engrossed in the technicalities of it that it slipped my mind. At last, I would like to thank SYAH Seychelles for organising this experience and the British High Commission for funding it.Our chaperones; Kalsey Belle, you were absolutely fantastic and took such great care of me. Alvin Lawrence, it was a pleasure to meet you and your cheerful personality. Lastly Miss Shantana Barbe, all I need to say is : noun byen BLENDE! By:Sarah Purvis Early morning, we woke up for another exciting day, discovering more and more about the Blue Economy in the South of Mauritius. First stop was to the largest reservoir that supplies water to the main areas on the island. The size of the reservoir left me speechless, I was more surprised when I was told the reservoir was approximately half full, thus me and my fellow mates made our way down to explore the biggest fresh water supply in Mauritius, we were all concerned when we noticed litter at the site, and took it upon ourselves to remove the litter and place it in the bin.
How is it connected to the blue economy? The source of the water is rainfall, and the source of rainfall is through evaporation of sea water, which results into cloud formation and thus rain. Although the water is fresh before it can be distributed to the houses similarly to Seychelles it needs to go through a thorough process of treatment to make sure it is safe to drink. The reservoir in Mauritius does not only provide water but fish as well. During our expedition we came across some locals on the rocks, with their fishing gears looking forward for a catch. Water is crucial for living and we must take care of the different water supplies available to us. Written by Nathalie Young. In front of the Mahebourg Fishing post in Mauritius , founder of the pilot community based project Mr Kheswar along with his partner gave us information on how to conserve wetlands along the coast in a sustainable manner, by giving us an insight on their very own project idea. What is the Barachois? It is a wetland referred to by the Mauritians as a Barachois. The 3 years project is funded by the japanesse who showed a keen interest in the initiative, the founders are still awaiting permission from the government to begin. The project is about rehabilitating the area, by doing activities such as Mariculture of fish , prawns and other, restoration of the mangroves, to set up education and eco-tourism projects in collaboration with the community , the project is aimed also on creating jobs for the local community . Emphasis was made by the founder, that the sea is not only there for extraction and that we must all stand together to find ways to use the resources available to us in a sustainable way. His Drive to protect and conserve started when he was with his friend on the beach witnessing a mother preventing her child from going into the sea because of the pollution found on the beach, he then decided that he would do as much as possible throughout his life to make sure what is in the sea and along it, is well taken care of. His passion really motivated us to bring forward ideas and find ways to achieve the same goal in our home country Seychelles. We then took a stroll along the areas where the project is supposed to take place. The area was full of mangroves, there were two abandoned houses which the project leaders aim on making use of by renovating and giving it a purpose. The project is based on NO-TAKE activities where nothing will be taken from the Barachois. In conclusion, we were amazed by the different things one can do to improve the environment around us. I realised that the way forward is to work together on project such as these; it was nice to see other people in the world ready to take up their own time and money to endorse the Blue Economy. Written by Nathalie Young Greetings everyone! As you might have been following, all the Blue Economy Ambassadors are having a great experience and are learning new things and developing new ideas everyday. Most of the group went on a Blue Economy Training for two days in which they all excelled whilst the rest of us (including me) visited institutes and organisations in Mauritius that are linked to the Ocean. I will be talking about the Barachois Project that we visited in Mahebourg. 'Barachois' means wetlands in Mauritian language and it is a very valuable resource that can be exploited in a sustainable manner.There are three types of wetlands and they are: marine wetlands, freshwater wetlands and man made wetlands. Aquaculture is the farming of fish, shellfish and aquatic plants in fresh or salt water. Aquaculture products are grown in earthen ponds, freshwater lakes and bays, or in the open ocean. The fish are fed and cared for to ensure optimum health and product quality. Aquaculture is mainly intended for production of food, stock enhancement and socio- economic development.Aquaculture is an activity which will be practised during the Barachois Project but it is still being decided on which organism to cultivate. The Barachois that we visited in Mahebourg was astoundingly dirty and polluted. The barren ground looked as if it was suffering and the mangroves were struggling to survive.It had been stained by pollution. Mr Kheswar who works for the National Ramsar Committee gave us a very informative tour. The convention entered into force in Mauritius on 30 September 2001. Mauritius currently has 3 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 401 hectares. Convincing the public is the main aim because without out them, projects for flushing out the Barachois would not be worthy. Plans to turn an old store into a souvenir shop that will sell eco-friendly products made by the locals look promising for it will provide jobs and an income to the local community. Public involvement through community work really intensifies the results as it is their own will to protect and exploit what they have in a sustainable fashion and not just throw rubbish and help degrade the Barachois. Posters painted by locals were designed and are as seen below. Seychelles should surely take this example by doing more community work, not just for the youth but for the older generations. Fishermen could have a committee whereby they take it upon themselves not to fish or anchor their vessels in certain areas by more awareness just like Reef Conservation', an NGO in Mauritius which have established no take zones which the public have agreed on. When you impose a law on someone, they are less likely to abide to it than if it were upon their own will.
The Barachois Project intends to exploit the area in a sustainable way. How? For instance, as earlier mentioned, an eco-shop which sells souvenirs to the tourists which are made by locals such as wooden carvings, hats made of dry leaves or bags made of cloth. Activities such as guided tours and kayaking will also be available to visitors. A problem which is faced by almost all NGOs and small associations that want to help the environment is government involvement. As Mr.Kheswar quoted "They don't do, and they don't let you do". It's taken them 3 years to design and do planning and get approvals. Implementation is supposed to be a reality this year. Seychelles is lucky to have governmental support and the media on our side to help the"Blue Economy" become what it is today. Now all that is left is to have the community on our side! Help all the Seychellois to realise what we have and make them want to protect it! Written by Sarah Purvis Hello it’s me again, Ryan. Today I will be telling you all about a great excursion I took with an NGO in Mauritius. This NGO is EPCO: Environmental Protection & Conservation Organisation. We met Mr. Keshwar Beeharry Panray the CEO and founding member at Camp du Pecheur, Grand Riviere Sud-Est in Mahebourg, along with some local fishermen who were the guides for the day. As the group was quite large, it was divided into two small groups and two boats were deployed for us to begin our journey towards Ile aux Cerfs where we later had a typical Mauritian lunch. After the group was divided we all boarded the boat, the engine started and slowly the skipper navigated the boat out of the jetty. The water was so crystal clear and one could see all the marine life below the ocean. The first stop was a few kilometers in the lagoon were EPCO has an ongoing project of reconstruction of an artificial reef for octopus and this project is about 10 years old. The organisation has been working closely with the local fishermen with this project so that they can catch their octopus in a sustainable manner. They have an understanding whereby EPCO provides artificial houses made out of concrete for the octopus. They are placed in the lagoon and the fishermen are not to hunt for the octopus when they are in their reproductive stage which is more or less two months (there are laws regarding this). Moreover, they are not to catch the octopus unless they are at the agreed size. So far from the information I have gathered by interviewing Mr. Panray and some fishermen the project is a success. Per annum, approximately 500kg of octopus are fished from the artificial reef. So in my view Seychelles could implement a similar project in one of our big bays. One thing I particularly enjoyed was watching one of the fishermen catching an octopus, which took about 5 to 10 minutes. I was so lucky to hold a live octopus; surely I will never forget this amazing experience. After all this excitement it was time for some lunch. So we navigated towards Ile aux Cerfs, a flat island surrounded by crystal clear waters and soft white sand, just like in Seychelles. One particularly interesting thing I learned from those fishermen is that the fishing of sea cucumber is illegal in Mauritius. Sea cucumber is a sea creature that filters the ocean bed and cleans the corals. Thus, by having a large population in the sea leads to such clear waters. After having vindaye for lunch it was time for our last stop, which was a boat ride to a cascade that falls right into the ocean. It was so fascinating to see such a phenomenon and to hear the local legends about that place. Indeed it was a fruitful day. Written by Ryan Dewea I think I speak for all the Blue Economy interns when I say that the past few days have really been incredible. It’s my first time in Mauritius so it’s really an awesome experience especially that we had the chance to see practically everything there is to see in Mauritius. Within just a week we were able to learn and do so much. For example on Tuesday we went snorkeling… in a mangrove!
The drive to Four Seasons, where we would be meeting for the snorkel, was a long one but certainly not boring as there was a lot to see along the way. Our driver was more than happy to act as a tour guide pointing out historical and touristic sites and sharing some Mauritian legends with us. The scenery was unbelievable. Upon our arrival we were greeted by friendly staff members and showed the way to the conference room for a quick welcome and briefing by Rick Bonnier, resident Marine Educator at WiseOceans, Four Seasons, about the upcoming snorkel. He also told us about the company which first opened in Mauritius in 2008 and what he did there. High tide was not until eleven so we had time to ask questions. At high tide we all followed Rick to a beautiful beach where we were equipped with snorkeling gear. Most of us had never been snorkeling in a mangrove before so we really had no idea what to expect. Unlike reef snorkels, the mangrove had little coral and the water turned murky quickly if you put your feet down. However, the species were of the same type, including the fish. Rick was very observant, pointing out the smallest and the most camouflaged creatures. He showed us clams and shells for the group to see. We saw lots of fish including pufferfish, butterfly fish, starfish, an eel and others. What was really interesting was that the water was about less than a metre high so we were a very short distance from the mangrove bed. So close that our bodies were almost touching the corals and we could see everything up close. We snorkeled above corals and along the roots of the mangroves. Swimming in between trees was definitely something different and I consider myself quite lucky to have been able to experience such a thing. I can now say that I’ve been snorkeling in a mangrove. I would definitely like to do it again sometime. I am really grateful to Kalsey and the other organisers of the trip for including the snorkel in the itinerary. It was very interesting and really made the trip along with all the other activities. I look forward to the next few days. Written by Nikita Rennie. On January 12th the highlight of the trip for the Seychellois interns and the lucky Mauritians was the “la cage ourite”. Questions were buzzing in my head-do we have such things in Mauritius? In what kind of shelters do octopus live? And where could we find these in the midst of the lagoon? As a Mauritian, I was equally excited as the Seychellois to discover Mauritius! At 0730 sharp, we hopped in the van and off we were heading to Camp Pêcheurs in Grande Rivière Sud Est (GRSE). The trip to Camp Pêcheurs was about one and a half hours long. We had a super friendly driver Yudisht who along the trip was an insightful guide. Yud even made a halt and bought Mauritian street food; fritters! Piping hot gateau piments, samoosas, baja, channa puri you name it. Yudisht knew we were going to visit the cascade at Ile aux Cerfs by boat, but he also wanted us to view the cascade from above. So, another halt was made along the road next to the sugarcane fields. At Camp Pêcheurs, we met with Mr Panray who would accompany us for the boat trip. He is from the NGO EPCO- Environmental Protection and Conservation Organization and told us that the “la cage ourite” project started years back in 2004-2005. The project officially known as the “The reconstruction of artificial reefs for octopus” has its raison d’être since previous sand mining activities, dredging, silting and boat movements in GRSE have led to severe ecosystem disruption and destruction. The artificial reefs are according to Mr Panray made of discarded concrete electric poles which are cut and worked out for octopuses’ habitat. They are cylindrical and dome-shaped on top with a small opening. They are also meant to be heavy to resist underwater current. I stayed aboard while the most reckless donning their fins, mask and tuba went into the water. Luckily for us, one of fishermen brought to the surface the heavy artificial reef! And what did we see??! We saw an octopus all curled up at the bottom! It was an adult octopus and the fisherman deemed it was safe to harpoon it. One of the advantages of the artificial reef is that fishermen can dive and see whether the octopus has reached adult size before they kill it. Annick & Yannick |
AuthorThe interns of the Prosperity & Environment: Promoting sustainable development opportunities for youth in the Blue Economy sector. Archives
January 2018
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