Mauritius: The government of Mauritius replanted ‘Cylindrocline lorencei’, an indigenous plant which had been extinct in Mauritius as of 1990. The replantation ceremony was hosted at the Pétrin in Black River Gorges National Park on Thursday.
The replantation of the plant variety in the wild of Mauritius is a step towards restoring the environmental beauty of the island. 100 Cylindrocline lorencei were planted into the natural environment in Mauritius during the ceremony.
The initiative was realized jointly by the Conservatoire Botanique National de Brest in France and the Mauritius National Parks and Conservation Service. The project is funded by the Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd.
The replantation project has received significant applause from the members of the community and environemental activists
Notably, French botanist and founder of the Conservatoire Botanique National de Brest, Jean-Yves Lesouëf, managed to collect some seeds of the plant in 1970s. These seeds were kept in the seed bank in Brest.
However, the seeds could not be germinated naturally. Fortunately, through progress made in the field of biotechnologies, the Conservatoire Botanique National de Brest succeeded in 1993, in collaboration with the Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture (INRA) in Ploudaniel, in regenerating the whole plant.
Afterwards, the Cylindrocline lorencei was successfully propagated through embryo culture and later in-vitro culture techniques.
As from 2009, the Conservatoire turned to the French applied research centre, Vegenov, to multiply to more large scale, by in vitro micropropagation. Afterwards, they sent consignments from Brest to the National Parks and Conservation Service for acclimatisation.
At this point, the plant was made ready for introduction in the wild. After several attempts, the region of Pétrin was found as thee appropriate area for the replanting of the Cylindrocline lorencei.
This is because it has the same biotic and abiotic conditions as the original habitat in Plaine Champagne.
Around a hundred plants born in Brest are now being reintroduced in the Conservation Management Areas of Mauritius. Out of this number, 50 plants have been introduced in Pétrin.
The Conservatoire Botanique National de Brest has submitted the Protocol to the National Parks and Conservation Service. The aim of the initiative is to ensure the sustainable return of the Cylindrocline lorencei to its natural environment.
They also want to ensure that the newly replanted Cylindrocline lorencei can continue to servive for the long run.
Several eminent personalities were present at the replanting ceremony. The most notable guests included
Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mahen Kumar Seeruttun
The Director of the Conservatoire Botanique National de Brest, Dr Stephane Buord
The responsible officer of the seed bank of the Conservatoire, Catherine Gautier
The Sustainability Manager of the Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd, Stephane Lebon
The personnel of the National Parks and Conservation Service.
Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mahen Kumar Seeruttun delivered a brief address at the event. He commended the collaborative venture claiming that their utmost dedication which had resulted in the successful revival and reintroduction of the Cylindrocline lorencei in its natural habitat after thirty years.
“The Republic of Mauritius is thankful to you all for the amazing work in seeing through this long-term undertaking,” stated Seeruttun.