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Archive -Environment

Youth and elderly learn about the coco-de-mer |27 March 2018

 

 

 

The Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) hosted an educational session on the coco-de-mer on Saturday as part of the Natural History Museum’s educational programme.

The presentation, led by SIF chief executive Frauke Fleischer Dogley and former Vallée de Mai tour guide Brina Zialor, was held at the ex-Carnegie Building on Independence Avenue.

The presentation is the first activity that the Museum Club organises for this year following the launch last month of the Natural History Museum’s educational programme.

Among the audience at the talk were members of the Museum Club, senior citizens, students following a BSc in Environmental Science, WildLife club members and facilitators from the Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC).

An open debate followed the presentation.

Mrs Fleischer Dogley said the main aim of the presentation was to share the historical knowledge and findings from research conducted over the past 10 years or so, while also interacting with the senior citizens and the youth.

“The audience was very interested in the use of the coco-de-mer, the regulations in place for the exportation and exploitation of the plant, and another pertinent point was the ongoing issue of poaching,” she said.

She said the talk also focused on the natural occurrence, life cycle and the species which the coco-de-mer provides microhabitat for.

“This initiative is one which is very good as it does not involve one particular set of audience, there is a mix of the different generations and it provides the platform to exchange knowledge,” she said.

Senior citizen from English River, Georgette Lucas, said the programme was very interesting as she learned new things.

“I was fascinated to learn about the amount of time it takes for the coco-de-mer to fully mature, and that the ones found in the Botanical gardens was planted by the Duke of Edinburg himself. I was also unaware that there are these animals which help the plant to pollinate,” she said.

Ruth Henri, who has been a member of the Museum Club since 2016, said she enjoyed the part about the waterfall found in the Vallée de Mai and to learn that the plant takes about 20 to 25 years to grow.

 

 

 

 

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