Outrigger Mauritius and Reef Conservation to celebrate World Oceans Day
RELEASE NUMBER 45/17
Special marine conservation events will take place June 7 at the Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort in cooperation with Reef Conservation and students from Keats College (download images here).
BEL OMBRE, MAURITIUS – The Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort will this week organize marine conservation and educational events June 7 ahead of World Oceans Day June 8. The event in Bel Ombre is part of a series of activities that Outrigger Resorts will hold worldwide as part of its OZONE global marine conservation campaign.
In Bel Ombre, June 7 the Outrigger has a full day of hands-on educational activities planned with local NGO Reef Conservation, 20 hotel staff, plus 40 students of nearby Keats College, which is also involved in projects with Reef Conservation.
The experts at Reef Conservation will give a 45-minute presentation in the resort’s new Crystal event marquee on different coastal and marine ecosystems of Mauritius using 3D modelling. There will then be interactive games about the marine food chain on the magnetic board and everyone can join in the Climate Change Fighter Game.
Students of Keats College and Outrigger hosts will then have the option of taking a ride on a glass bottom boat on the lagoon with expert commentary by Reef Conservation staff. Outrigger guests will be able to learn about the different coastal and marine ecosystems of Mauritius and join a workshop to ‘make their own ecosystem’ using natural elements from the beach. Reef Conservation will provide empty aquariums to fill in. At the Coral Kids club, special games will be offered for the younger ones.
Participants and guests will be able to discover the educational contents of the Bis Lamer marine educational bus parked in the lobby all day.
Reef Conservation has a two-year relationship with Outrigger Mauritius producing educational magnetic and pop-up boards, underwater slates and kid’s games. It is also carrying out an extensive on-going survey of the reef, sea grasses, temperature, pH and salinity levels in the lagoon at Bel Ombre adjacent to the Outrigger.
The objective is to protect the beauty and ecological diversity of the Bel Ombre lagoon, says Celine Miternique, marine biologist at Reef Conservation.
“Many people, including hotels, depend on this fragile ecosystem for their benefit,” she says. “It is therefore a priority to protect this treasure. We hope to take a step in that direction this week when we engage with students from Keats College and Outrigger guests and staff to raise awareness levels.”
In the Bel Ombre lagoon at the Outrigger there are healthy coral reefs, a total of 55 hectares (136 acres) of coral patch reef and 22 hectares (30 acres) of sea grass beds, with approximately 70 different fish species observed in the lagoon.
“Both Outrigger and Reef Conservation are very proud to celebrate their long-term engagement,” says Frederique Pepetu of Reef Conservation. “World Oceans Day and the OZONE campaign allow us to show what we’ve done so far and motivates us to continue this strong collaboration.”
Mauritius is surrounded by 150 km (93 mi) of fringing and barrier reefs enclosing a lagoon of 243 km² (150 mi).
Reef Conservation has included some facts about coral reefs here.
Click here for a PDF of this release.
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