The power of the press paid dividends for the cause of conservation this week as a mass-media outcry over a theft from the Roche Caiman Sanctuary led to a police tip-off, an arrest and the recovery of the stolen goods.
60 metres of fence surrounding the Nature Seychelles-run Roche Caiman Sanctuary were stolen on the weekend of Independence Day, causing environmental headaches at a time when the rest of the country was celebrating.
But, thanks to coverage of the crime broadcast by SBC and reported in Regar and Seychelles Nation, the police received a call identifying those believed to be responsible for the theft.
After a visit to the home of the alleged perpetrators an arrest was made and the stolen fence recovered.
Now that the fence is back in place work on the rehabilitation of the sanctuary can restart.
Wetland staff are currently in the process of installing Seychelles’ most environmentally friendly boardwalk, imported from the UK and made entirely from recycled plastic.
The manufacturers of the boardwalk planks collect and shred plastic bottles, before compacting them into light-weight wood-like planks. And although the recycled plastic boardwalk cost much more than a wooden equivalent its manufacturers expect it to last three times as long.
“The environmental benefits of using the recycled plastic boardwalk are two fold. Firstly it uses up old plastic, which would otherwise end up in a land fill somewhere. Secondly it means that no trees are felled to make the boardwalk,” said Wetlands Manager Jon Dale.
The boardwalk will lead visitors to a bird hide, where they will be able to watch birds without disturbing them and a decked pond-dipping area, where they can catch and examine the myriad different creatures which live in the wetlands nutrient rich waters.
Throughout the wetland the Nature Seychelles team have been busy uprooting invasive plants and replacing them with native plant species and digging out an open-water area to attract wading birds and allow the amount of water flowing through the site to be controlled.
“What we are creating here will be an unparalleled outdoor classroom for young environmentalists to learn from and enjoy,” said Mr Dale.