VICTORIA, Seychelles — Two Praslin-based companies have been awarded the ‘Friends of Cousin Island’ honour by Nature Seychelles for their role in the installation of a pioneering coral restoration project at Amitié, Praslin. Titan Plant Hires and D S Equipment, both owned by local entrepreneurs, provided excavators, transport and labour at no charge during the 10-day operation that placed 150 metres of large intake pipe running from the ocean to a land-based coral nursery.
The facility, known as the Assisted Recovery of Corals (ARC) and operated under the Nature Seychelles banner, is the first of its kind in Africa. It is intended to expand the number of corals available for restoration through aquaculture, allowing the regeneration of the coral population in the natural reef ecosystem. The chief executive of Nature Seychelles, Dr Nirmal Shah, said the partnership with the two local firms was essential in helping the project reach its funding target.
The project’s operations manager, Eric Blais, supervised the installation and credited the two firms for their patience and skill during a process he described as extremely challenging. With the intake lines now in place, the project is poised to revolutionise the way in which the organisation grows corals for reef restoration.
