Lauréat - Best Initiative in Sustainable Development
Sun Resorts
Campaign - Sun Coral Nursery
Cette candidature n'est disponible qu'en anglais / This application is only available in English.
Sun Marine Research Centre at Long Beach Hotel is developing the first micro fragmenting land-based coral farm on the Island of Mauritius in collaboration with University of Mauritius and Dr David Vaughan from Plan a Million Coral Foundation, Florida, USA. The three main elements of the project as a business case are: • Coral reef restoration – Actively restoring coral reef, eco-tourism conservation • Science – The technique is guided by research and collaboration. • Education - we are engaging and empowering the community. Using this method, Dr David Vaughan has proven that he can grow a coral in 1-2 years that would normally have taken 15-25 years. Through this innovative technique we can regrow our reefs at rates 25-40x faster than they occur naturally! This has a huge impact on the rate at which we can save and recover the lost reefs!
As the success of our resorts depends on the state of the beaches and seas where we are located, Sun has long been aware that action is needed to protect them. If reasonable precautions are taken, tourist activities such as snorkelling or diving, surfing or kayaking, have minimal impact on the lagoons but overfishing, lack of management and action at the national level, pollution, acidification and climate change in general are gradually destroying a habitat essential to our own and more generally humanity’s survival.
The MV Wakashio oil spill, Man-made Ecological and Economical Disaster, occurred offshore of Pointe d'Esny, south of Mauritius, close to the Marine Protected Area designated as the Second Wetland of International Importance under the ‘Ramsar Convention’ which is renowned for its remarkable coral garden and is home to more than 1,000-year old brain coral (Lobophyllia sp.), the largest brain coral in the Indian Ocean,. Although much of the oil on board Wakashio was pumped out before she broke in half, an estimated 1,000 tonnes of oil spilled into the ocean in what was called by some scientists the worst environmental disaster ever in Mauritius.
We are from the tourism industry and the reefs are too precious for us not to act now as the consequences will be devastating and everlasting. Our industry and our survival depends on these creatures .no lagoon, no tourism and no living
In the quest to act quickly, we searched for the best in the industry who have come up with innovative solutions similar to our problems while supporting large scale restoration. Hence we partnered with Plant a Million Coral and the UOM. Within the Micro fragmenting technique is where we can grow coral up to grow corals up to 25 to 40 times faster. The technique was discovered by Dr David Vaughan in Florida. He is a leading scientist in the field and his work has been recognised all over the world. Coral that would have taken 600 years to grow, we are looking forward to gown in less than 20 years, hence would not need 6 generation to see the coral growth.
Sun Resorts is the only hotel group in the Indian Ocean region being allow to partner with Dr David Vaughan on the technique and we are setting up the first land base micro fragmenting coral nursery in the region to overcome the manmade disaster of Wakashio.
We are optimistic and ambitious for what we fighting for .
It might be a simple project but is a game changer for the region
The journey to a thousand mile start with the first step and this project is for us the first step for our beautiful island to be a place where we can all feel proud of.
