Hotel staff learn the art of beach profiling |15 April 2013

But it wasn’t an afternoon off!  A senior conservation officer at the Department of Environment, Gilberte Gendron had paid them a visit to teach them the fine art of beach profiling.

Beach profiling involves taking measurements of the gradient and length of various sections of the beach as it stretches all the way from the vegetation at the top to the low tide mark. We all know that our beaches alter in size and shape (in some cases rather dramatically) as the seasons change. But what is happening as the years pass? Does the beach disappear and reappear by the same amount in the same places year after year, or over time is your local beach getting bigger or smaller, changing shape or gradient? Is there long-term stability, or are we losing beaches or gaining them? These questions can be answered by regularly measuring the profile of a beach and using the data to analyse the long-term trends in beach erosion or accretion.

Four Seasons Resort Seychelles is on the shores of Petite Anse (Anse La Liberté) and is keen to play a significant role in the conservation of the environment around it, led by its sustainability committee and resident marine advisors, WiseOceans. In January a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Department of Environment and Four Seasons Resort Seychelles in conjunction with WiseOceans, declaring that WiseOceans will conduct environmental surveys for the Department of Environment, and the visit and training from Ms Gendron is a leap forward in the implementation of one of the initiatives of the MoU.

Lindsay Sullivan, resident WiseOceans marine educator, is delighted at the progress made in such a short time.
“Four Seasons Resort Seychelles and WiseOceans are committed to the conservation of Petite Anse and Seychelles, and getting staff out of their offices and onto the beach to take part shows that we don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk.”

Resort manager, Bob Suri, who has led the setup of the partnership between Four Seasons Resort Seychelles commented: “We want to thank the Department of Environment and Ms Gendron for the training, and look forward to continuing the beach profile monitoring as a regular contribution to the data held by the Department of Environment. In sharing these skills with our staff, we hope to continue to contribute towards a positive future for our beautiful bay, which we at Four Seasons are so privileged to call our home.”

Contributed