VICTORIA, Seychelles, Crew members of the AIDA cruise ship, currently docked in Port Victoria, took part in a day of environmental action yesterday that combined tree-planting and beach-cleanup work. With shovels, gloves and bags in hand, the volunteers planted saplings in their assigned sections, contributing to the ongoing restoration of one of Seychelles most visited coastal sites. The activity at the new rock armouring site in Anse Royale was coordinated by the Public Education and Community Outreach Division within the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment.
Senior programme development officer, Terry Mousbe, told this newspaper the activity was initiated after exchanges with the cruise ship to see how environmental activities are conducted on board. It was then suggested that during their next stopover on Mahé they should join us on land for an activity, which led us to today event, explained Mr Mousbe. He added that the partnership reflects a growing interest from cruise operators in giving back to destinations they visit regularly, and in building relationships with local environmental agencies.
He said the Anse Royale beach park was chosen, because it is one of the most eroded beaches along the main island of Mahé. The Takamaka and Vouloutye trees provided for the exercise have been sponsored by the University of Seychelles, and the division has expressed its appreciation for the generous donation. In total, the crew planted seventeen Takamaka trees and eight Vouloutye trees, as the primary school students who were originally scheduled to take part were unable to attend because of the morning rain.
The human resource manager of the AIDA Blu cruise ship, Mareike Packmor, said the crew were pleased to take part in such an exercise while in Seychelles. She noted that environmental work is part of the ship onboard culture and that joining a local project in Mahé was a natural extension of that. Through their collective effort, the visiting team demonstrated their dedication to environmental care, leaving a lasting impression on the local community and on the ministry staff who joined them on the beach.
The visiting team expressed hope to return to Seychelles one day with their children and grandchildren to share how they played their part in protecting the local environment. The exercise demonstrates how cruise tourism can contribute positively to local environmental conservation efforts when operators and authorities work together. Such partnerships between cruise lines and local communities are seen as a valuable way to extend the positive impact of tourism beyond the usual visitor experience and to leave a small but visible mark on the destinations they visit.
