All about Seychelles’s massive reforestation initiative

Seychelles is a beautiful sun, sand and beach destination in Africa. An Indian Ocean archipelago, this little bit of heaven is home to 115 tropical islands. The destination with its lush landscapes and rich biodiversity, attracts thousands of tourists each year. However, because of fires in recent decades, forests across Praslin, one of the nation's most populous and famous islands, have been destroyed. The entire region has suffered from erosion and drought and logistics say that nearly 40 percent of the forests won’t recover without any intervention.

Therefore, conservationists in the region have decided to take quick action. Dr. Elvina Henriette, a conservation biologist at the University of Seychelles, the Terrestrial Restoration Action Society has decided to help the government employ local partners. In their restoration work, they will also employ tourism staff who got unemployed because of the Coronavirus situation.
The team has planned to plant 500,000 trees across Praslin in the next five years. The first segment of the plan will witness the plantation of 25000 mangroves, palms, and several native species by the end of this month.

Hotels are helping
In addition, various hotels in the country are trying to help. In Mahé, the famous Constance Ephelia hotel has decided to reduce plastic consumption by re-felling 800 glass water bottles on a daily basis. The luxury hotel has also said to irrigate the grounds with gray water treated using solar power. On the other hand, the Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa has introduced an aquaponic garden which will use 95 percent less water than usual farming methods.