La Grande Chaloupe - France
Forest restoration and creation
Carried out in collaboration with the Parc National de la Réunion and the Conservatoire du Littoral, our reforestation project on Reunion Island is led in the field by the European LIFE + Dry Forest project.
2019 - 2020
Financé
The dry forest is disappearing drastically: once present along the entire west coast of the island, it now survives only in the form of small relics, located in areas that are not easily accessible. The best-preserved remnants are to be found to the north of the island, in the ramparts of the Massif de La Montagne, not far from the village of Grande Chaloupe. This low-altitude tropical forest has a unique climate, with a long dry period from April to November followed by a short rainy season.
The aim of the project is to restore degraded ecosystems on Réunion Island, with some of the plots located in the heart of the Parc National de La Réunion. Indeed, Réunion Island is suffering from the invasion of invasive alien species (IAS), which are causing the disappearance of the island's native species. Without human intervention, these invasive plants, imported through international trade, would replace the endemic species of Réunion's dry forest, a haven of rare biodiversity. Planting a variety of species will help preserve biodiversity and make the forest more resistant to hazards. Reforestation and monitoring operations will continue over the coming years, until the replanted native species form an impervious layer against a potential new invasion of exotic plants. In parallel with the project, various school workshops are being organized to raise awareness among pupils from the 3rd to the 5th grades of primary school of the fragility of Réunion's natural environments and the means employed to preserve them.
