Mauritius: The project ‘Using Advanced Technology and Al for reef restoration in Mauritius’, a collaboration of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Huawei Mauritius, and EcoMode Society, under the Huawei Tech4Nature initiative to study species’ reproductive success in a restored area of reef in Mauritius, was launched on Saturday 24 June 2023, at the Refuge Centre, in Quatre Soeurs.
The Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Sudheer Maudhoo; Members of Parliament; the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Mauritius, Liying Zhu; the CEO of Huawei Mauritius, Kui Zheng; the President of the EcoMode Society, Nadeem Naturally; and other personalities were present on the occasion.
The project follows a key milestone achieved in June whereby 25,000 coral fragments cultivated in coral nurseries were successfully transplanted to a degraded area of the reef ecosystem in Pointe-aux-Feuilles, a 20-km2 site off the east coast of Mauritius.
In his address, Minister Maudhoo commended the achievement of the Tech4Nature initiative, adding that the Government aimed to work with the private sector for a healthy ocean that supported nature and people.
“With the support of the Tech4Nature initiative, Huawei and its partners, we look forward to continued action to restore ocean and coastal biodiversity for future generations,’’ stated the Minister.
As for Zheng, he said that the project was the first of its kind that Huawei was investing in Mauritius after dozens of successful experiences of developing solutions to protect different species and natural spaces in countries around the world using advanced technologies such as cloud, AI, and connectivity.
“The role of the technology industry in meeting this challenge is key, but it is only through the collaboration with strategic and committed partners that the objectives will be achieved,” he added.
For his part, Nazurally said the project would allow relevant stakeholders to make a qualitative leap by incorporating new technologies into the monitoring and conservation of species as well as bring biodiversity conservation closer to the general public through the mobile app.
He hopes the project will be replicated in other areas of Mauritius and balance the needs of tourism and conservation.
