Eco-warriors take part in holiday camp on Praslin |28 January 2019

One of the mandates of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change is to promote education for sustainable development, and that is to start when children are still very young. Though the ministry provides a lot of support during school days at school level, this is not enough to educate children on different environment issues, especially to those who are much interested in nature. Holidays can help to complement school environment education activities, and provide our young environmentalists with opportunities to discover and learn about sustainable issues and the natural environment which surrounds them.

Every holiday the ministry organises holiday camps and most of the time targeting those who are more enthusiastic and who can be role models and help in spreading awareness among their peers. School holiday camp is a time when children coming from different schools with the same interest can be grouped together to participate in fun yet learning activities. It has been observed that school holiday camps provide children with valuable outdoor experiences which promote relationship with the environment and construct deep environmental knowledge and understanding of the world that surrounds them.

During this last holiday, eco-warriors participated in a one week holiday camp on Praslin. During their time there, they visited different biodiversity hotspots of the island such as Vallée de Mai and Fond Ferdinand Reserve. They also visited sites with exceptional beauty, such as the famous Anse Lazio beach. As Praslin is close to several other inner islands, then it was an opportunity to visit Felicite Island which host an eco-friendly resort, Ile Pasyon. The resort staff were so keen to share what they are implementing on the island in regards to sustainability and gave the eco-warriors a five-star welcome and experience.

During their stay on Praslin, they were assisted by TRASS to plant 300 mangrove plants, they also planted two coco de mers at fond Ferdinand and some endemics and indigenous trees on Felicite.

In all it was a highly educational week, but a fun one with other children of their age who share the same passion for the natural environment.

The accompanying photos show highlights of the holiday camp.

Contributed by Jeannette Larue