On Sunday 28th of December Eli Africa proceeded to the planting of 265 endemic trees in the Eli forest found at Plaines des Roches. The objective of this activity which comes in the wake of the Eli Forest project is to preserve Mauritius’s endemic flora and make the environment better today for a better tomorrow .Moreover, since endemic plants form part of our heritage this action aims also at preserving our heritage whose loss is irreversible.
Early on that day, around forty young and dynamic volunteers showed their interest in the project and ACTED to make Mauritius and the world a better place. Planting 265 trees in one day in a forest is not an easy task but as goes the quip, where there is a will there is a way! The participants were divided in group of five and were allocated a portion of land. Thereon, they had to plan how they would proceed with the planting of the trees. The zeal of the participants could be seen when they would brave all hardships to accomplish their objectives. While some were busy digging the literaly rocky land, others were already planting the trees. On that day,neither Plaine des Roches’ scorching sun nor the participants’ tiredness won over the participants’ motivation to make Mauritius breathe once again. Bois Judas, Bois Chandelle, Daniella Vert, Chandelle Divers, Baume de l’île Plate, Bois Mapou, Silver Bush and Bois de Pommes de Reinette are the endemic trees which were planted.
Among the youngsters, many of them planted an endemic plant for the first time and it was for them an occasion to learn about the importance of these plants and understand the reason behind protecting these plants. Furthermore, this activity allowed the participants to develop their ability to work in a team and their capacity to develop strategies before engaging themselves in a work.
Till this date, Eli Africa has planted 791 endemic trees and the organization’s activity does not intend to stop here.