ALMOST 20 employees of the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) recently volunteered with the Forestry Department to plant over 200 trees at the MáKote Mangrove in Vieux-Fort.
The Forestry Department is planting 4,000 trees in the dieback area (mangrove trees dying as a result of natural and human-related causes) of the MáKote Mangrove.
Mangroves are among the most valuable ecosystems in the world whose role in protecting coastlines against natural hazards such as storms and coastal erosion is widely acknowledged. Chief Forestry Officer Adams Toussaint says the MáKote Mangrove is also a protected area that provides employment.
He said: “The restoration of the MáKote mangrove is a new initiative we embarked on because mangroves are very important not only for the environment but also for the livelihood of fishers and coal producers in the South. More than that, this is an area we have declared a wetland of international importance (a protected area). It is for these reasons that the Department is grateful for LUCELEC’s tree planting support in helping to restore the mangrove. A longstanding partner in our tree planting drives, we must commend LUCELEC for their continued Corporate Social Responsibility in relation to the environment”.
The LUCELEC volunteers were taught the importance of the MáKote mangrove and how to plant in the swampy, murky waters of the mangrove.
The team building exercise fostered camaraderie among members as they trudged through the area planting the much needed trees. Tree planting and assisting the Forestry Department in their efforts in that regard is an important component of LUCELEC’s environmental sustainability thrust.