Nurturing the mangroves of Paradise
What will this area look like, I asked Robin Hanson the wetland manager at the Sanctuary at Roche Caiman (SARC) as students from the International School Seychelles helped him to plant mangrove seeds. The area we were speaking of has a high mound of earth, with a pool of water at the bottom releasing not so pleasant smells, which prompted one of the students to ask, "does Shrek live here?"
"Mangroves thrive in brackish, nutrient-rich waters," explained Robin to the students, which was the reason the water looked "dirty" but this water also gets its colour from tannin in fallen leaves.
The area had recently been dug out by Sun Excavators as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility contribution to the Sanctuary. Sun Excavators have been working with Robin to re-profile the area under the "Mangroves for the Future" project that Nature Seychelles is undertaking.
The re-profiling, Robin explained, would help maximise the area for mangroves by increasing the number, as well as the genetic pool of the species found at the site.
On this day, new Sixth Form students from International School Seychelles, had spent the service part of the school's three-pronged "Creativity, Action, Service" programme doing a beach clean at Port Launay, with Save Our Seas and GVI, as well as collecting mangrove seed pods with Robin for replanting at the Sanctuary.
The Port Launay area boasts some of the most extensive areas of mangroves, coupled with a better diversity than the SARC. Collecting seeds from here would help improve the variety at the SARC and helps protect this genetic diversity so Nature Seychelles had received permission from the Seychelles National Parks Authority to collect some seeds.
Mangroves reproduce in a very interesting way, Robin explained. Germination begins on the tree itself, and seeds sprout while still attached to the tree. When the tree later drop the seeds called "propagules" they take root in the soil beneath or float and are carried elsewhere by currents. At the Sanctuary, the students planted the seeds directly into the pond and also in bags for the nursery.
Seven species of Mangroves are found in Seychelles. They protect shorelines by trapping sediments eroded from the land and also against wave erosion. They also offer some protection to the extensive coral reef system. Their complex ecosystem has a critical role to play in maintaining Seychelles biodiversity.
This mangrove work being undertaken will provide a demonstration site that integrates restoration with community education and recreation, showing how mangroves work and how restoring essential habitats elsewhere can be achieved.
