Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita announced this week that it will be the first resort in the Indian Ocean to develop a seagrass nursery.
The nursery will be located in a one-meter-deep (40-inch) saltwater body near the resort’s dining facilities called a “Barachois.”
The area currently hosts more than 200 herbivore and omnivore fish.
This initiative is part of the Blue Carbon Ecosystems Project: Restoration of Blue Carbon Ecosystems, currently led by the Odysseo Foundation, a local trust developing marine conservation projects in Mauritius.
The project is a part of the Fonds Business Biodiversité Océan Indien (FBBOI) under the Varuna Program, implemented by Expertise France and funded by the French government through the Agence Française du Développement (AFD), and in partnership with several organizations that run conservation projects in the Indian Ocean and worldwide.
Rick-Ernest Bonnier, the resort’s ocean environment manager, said:
“The Seagrass Nursery is a pilot project that aims to restore the seagrass meadows in the marine area around the resort. Both transplants and seeds will be collected from the wild and used to create a seagrass nursery in the resort’s Barachois. Seeds will be germinated in an Odysseo lab and the developed seedlings will then be transplanted to the resort’s Barachois until maturity. We hope to produce healthy seagrasses that could be used for the restoration of seagrass meadows, creating a healthy habitat for marine life, such as fish, turtles, seahorses, rays and more.”
Following extensive surveys of the resort’s own Barachois water quality and sediment, data showed that the resort has a favorable environment for certain species of seagrass such as Syringodium isoetifolium and Halodule uninervis.
Odysseo Foundation Manager, Curator and Head of Education Bernardo Nascimento added:
“It is a great pleasure to have Four Seasons as our partner in this project, particularly for the seagrass nursery initiative. As far as we know, it will be the first time a seagrass nursery is created in the Indian Ocean, marking a significant step forward in seagrass restoration. These ecosystems provide essential services for humanity as they are highly efficient carbon sinks, crucial in the fight against global warming; they serve as important fish nurseries, whose loss would threaten many species that are vital food sources for marine life and island nations, such as Mauritius.”
In the case of the nursery created at Four Seasons, a team of researchers and marine biologists will be collecting seeds from the wild to the Odysseo lab. The seeds will then be given light, salinity, sediment and temperature to germinate. Once the seagrass plants are strong enough, they will be moved and planted in the resort’s Barachois.
Project Manager Shane Sunassee said:
“The blue carbon ecosystem, which includes coastal habitats such as mangroves and seagrass, plays a crucial role for mitigating climate change. Seagrass can not only capture and store carbon, but it also provides essential services such as shoreline protection, water quality improvement, biodiversity support, and the sustenance of local economies. To safeguard these invaluable ecosystems, it is essential to focus on conservation efforts, sustainable management practices, and the restoration of degraded habitats, ensuring these natural resources continue to mitigate climate change and deliver a wide range of ecological and economic benefits.”
For more info about the Four Seasons resort in Mauritius, go to fourseasons.com.
