Some eighteen students of the Incoming class at the Ecole Hôtelière Gaetan Duval, Ebène, went on a pleasure trip to Ile-au-Phare, on Saturday 26. The aim was the cleaning up of the isle and the putting to earth of endemic plants.
News on Sunday accompanied the students on this trip dedicated to the preservation and the restoration of the environment.

Boys and girls of the Incoming class, being trained to be tour guides, started their day early on that Saturday. They were all very motivated to spend yet another enriching day in the discovery of another territory of Mauritius, Ile-au-Phare found in the south-east region. They were accompanied by their trainers  Yandinee Hurdowar and Anoushka Junglee who were all set for this new adventure.

Reaching Pointe-Jérôme, the Ecole Hôtelière group and News on Sunday reporters were welcomed by SKAL president, Hugo Arouff, and members who are the organising team of this pleasure trip-cum-cleaning campaign. Following the welcome address by the president, t-shirts were distributed to the students. This but added to their zeal at being able to contribute something to the betterment and enhancement of Mauritius' promoting it as a tourist destination.

The SKAL president explained that each year, in the course of their annual workshop, there are four main areas which are extensively discussed. Mauritius, Sustainable Island concept features in this list of priorities. “We decided to carry out various activities with the Ecole  Hôtelière. Why this institution ? Because it is one which trains students in tourism which is the business sector in which SKAL operates,” he said, before adding “each year we organise an event for Tourism Day and Environment Day respectively.”

Recreating forest
Hugo explained the idea behind this trip being to promote people's knowledge about endemic plants. “The students need to be sensitised to the richness of our endemic fauna and flora. They have to be taught how to enhance the environment. Thus, we encourage them to plant,” he said. Last year, it was Ile-aux-Aigrettes which was visited and re-created by the then Incoming class through cleaning and planting.

In its endeavour, SKAL received the help of Bioculture (Mauritius), a private company situated in Rivière-des-Anguilles and which is concerned with the restoration of the forest.

“We aim at recreating the forest that existed 400 years ago. This year, we offered twenty endemic plants to SKAL, for its initiative of re-inventing Ile-au-Phare,” says Eric Baboo, Assistant Development and Liaison Manager at Bioculture (Mauritius).

Also present on the occasion, Ashok Khadun, Islets Restoration Manager of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation informed the adventurers that only 2% of the forest mass is left in Mauritius. “It is way easier to restore isles, in comparison to main islands,” he said. He explained that just as the Ile-aux-Aigrettes has been recreated, Ile-au-Phare too needs to be restored with its initial greenery. To add to the general knowledge of the students, he elaborated on the three types of plants which exist: exotic plants which are imported; indigenous plants which are found locally; and endemic plants which are unique to one place.

 “Many of the plants which are being planted in Ile-au-Phare are in fact unique to Mauritius,” he said.
Having received the neces­sary information and guidelines, the adventurers proceeded to undertake an enjoyable trip to the isle, by boats. They got the oppor­tunity to enjoy the cool sea breeze and the mesmerising scenery on the way there. Taking the last instructions from Navin Hemrage, Assistant Park Ranger of the National Park Conservation Service (NPCS), the students and SKAL members started cleaning the isle.

Ile-au-Phare being an island very often visited, and littered by visitors required a thorough cleaning up. It was in a convivial mood that both students and SKAL members demonstrated their sense of responsibility and citizenship towards the preservation of the environment. Rubbish collected from the isle was taken to be disposed of, on the mainland.

Following the cleaning up, the group started planting the endemic plants Argusia Argentea, Premna Serrafolia and Pandanus Utilis along the perimeter of the isle. “We have planted 60 plants in all. Care has been taken that when the latter would grow up they would have enough space to blossom,” says Navin of the NPCS. The plants were watered as well.

Once their mission was over, the students and the members were invited for a guided visit around the island. Information was given to the cleaning team-turned-visitors, when and where necessary. The whole group took great pleasure in taking pictures, in groups or alone. The trip was marked by an only regret. It was the prohibition of visiting the ruined lighthouse. Navin of the NPCS explained that it was too dangerous to venture in the lighthouse. It ran the risk of crumbling down.

The approach of the afternoon also meant the end of the pleasure trip. It was with a heavy heart, mixed with joy and satisfaction, that the group bade good-bye to the isle. The students were animated by the idea that when they would next visit Ile-au-Phare, the plants that they had put into the soil would have grown big. They were glad to have planted trees which would mark their passage on the isle, and their contribution to its eco development. As for the SKAL members, it was yet another milestone attained.