VISION, MISSION & GOAL OF THE FORESTRY SERVICE

By Z.A. Baureck, forestry_mauritius

The Forestry Service of Mauritius is one of the oldest government institutions.  Its mandate is to manage in a sustainable manner the state forest lands, mountain reserves, river reserves, nature reserves and road reserves, amongst others, for the benefits of present and future generations.  The vision, mission and goal are:-

VISION

Our vision is to ensure a healthy forest environment that will satisfy the needs and aspirations of present and future generations for goods and services from our forests in a sustainable manner.

MISSION

Our mission is to manage our forest resources for, with and on behalf of the people of Mauritius.

GOAL

Our goal is the accelerated growth and development of the nation's forest sector in harmony with our Republic National Development Plan.


We aim to fulfill the commitment by:

• Improving the management, protection, rational use, and increase and diversification of our forest resources;
• Taking good care of the water catchment areas in the forests and to ensure a steady supply of water for domestic and other purposes;
• Looking after our rich heritage of native species of plants, birds and other animals; and
• Developing facilities in the forests for recreation and leisure.

As our name suggest, we are at the service of our citizens.

TRAINING ON PRUNING AND TRIMMING OF PLANTS

By C. Ramful (CFCEO), forestry_mauritius

In the past, several in-house training sessions were dispensed by the Forestry Service to its own employees but for the first time a training programme was conducted solely for another institution, viz, the Road Development Authority (RDA).

Manual Pruning

It all started with a meeting at the RDA Head office where a request was addressed to the Conservator of Forests for providing training to general workers engaged in embellishment and maintenance works along the motorway. Thereafter, it was agreed that the training would focus mainly on pruning and trimming techniques.

Motorised Pruning

Subsequently, I was assigned the co-ordination duties and a training programme was mounted under the guidance of Mr Z. Jhumka, Assistant Conservator of Forests.  The training sessions were held on the 3^rd and 4^th of July 2018 at the Forestry Service Head Office and Curepipe Forest Nursery respectively, between 9.00hrs and noon. The kick-off was given by Mr V. Tezoo,  Conservator of Forests, and the various sessions were animated successively by ACF Z. Jhumka, Ag DFO P. Balloo, SFCEO N. Joyram and myself. The attendees included 10 general workers and one leading hand from the RDA.

Use of Lopper

Motorised Hedge Trimming

Power point presentations were made on the following:-

  ·  Importance of landscaping and embellishment;

  ·  Types of plants used;

  ·  Various stages in plant raising and costs; and

  ·   Maintenance and care of plants.

Controlling direction of tree fall 

This was followed by practical sessions on:-

·         Different pruning and trimming techniques;

·         Tree felling;

·         Types of tools and equipments used;

·         Proper handling and maintenance of tools and equipments;

·         Hazard identification and safety precautions; and

·         Use of personal protective equipments.

Explanation on hazard identification

The whole programme was concluded by a short evaluation exercise followed by refreshments. It was a really refreshing and enriching experience for both trainers and trainees.

MAN V/S NATURE - A FIGHT ALREADY LOST?

By H. Ramtohul, forestry_mauritius

Killer whales, man-eating sharks, mad cow, vampire bats, carnivorous plants. So many gruesome adjectives used to describe plants and animals. But there is one species that has a more violent and destructive nature instinctively that has tried to mask these behind ties and mimis; Homo sapiens.

Actually, our violent nature has been key to our survival. We have learned to kill for food, for survival, for courtship and so on. Yet, humans seem to have been a species that was set apart with a unique set of skills, facilitated by a higher intelligence, to develop tools for various reasons. Man v/s the sabre-tooth tigers, man v/s the mammoth, man v/s mountain gorillas-all matches where man is unlikely to come out alive. Yet history has proved the contrary as we are now estimated at 7.3 billion while many species have been sacrificed at the expense of human invasion. You probably are asking yourself where is the relation with forestry in all this? Well, there is!

According to the FAO Report “Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015”, Forest cover worldwide is estimated at 3.9 billion Ha down by about 2 billion Ha before the industrial era. Elephant, the largest living herbivorous animal, is certainly not to be blamed (after all, man has caused their numbers to dwindle to about only 2 million individuals worldwide according to the IUCN). Forests provide a wide range of goods and services so essential for man’s survival. However, a booming human population causing world demand for resources to skyrocket coupled with unregulated, unsustainable and at times illegal exploitation of forests is causing their demise.

Remnant Native Forest (Le Cabinet Nature Reserve)

In Mauritius, the forest cover has been reduced substantially from some 30 % of land area in the 1980s to 25 % to date, due to rapid economic development (housing, dams, roads and other infrastructural developments, etc.).  The pristine native forests had suffered so much from the onslaught of deforestation since man set foot on the island.  Today their remnants represent less than 2 % of the land area.  These forests still harbour a rich biological diversity of fauna and flora.  However, they are very fragile and are threatened by invasive alien species, habitat fragmentation and climate change. 

Mark Twain said “Mauritius was made first and then heaven; and heaven was copied after Mauritius” This beautiful quote however left a considerable responsibility on the Mauritian citizens. We are the ones who have to care for our island so that it continues to be the paradise Mark Twain experienced during his last visit. Not only for us or for the forthcoming generations, but also for the sake of nature itself, the unique fauna and flora that was present well before our ‘invasion’.