Four Seasons Resort Seychelles Celebrates One Year of Success with Petite Anse Reef Restoration Project

With turquoise waters, powder-white sands and lush, green hillsides, Petite Anse bay is known for its picturesque setting, yet it is not just above the water where the beauty of nature flourishes - beneath the Indian Ocean surface stands the Petite Anse Reef Restoration Project of Four Seasons Resort Seychelles and marine education and conversation partner WiseOceans, which marked its first anniversary on March 26, 2016.

The Petite Anse Reef Restoration Project is the first of its kind on Mahe and over the past 12 months has successfully trialed a unique method of coral reef restoration that was developed specifically for the location. During the past year, approximately 2,500 coral fragments have been rescued and these are now growing safely and strongly in the in-situ coral nursery - a result that has also seen WiseOceans record a fivefold increase in fish numbers around the area being restored in Petite Anse.

Since the project's launch, an underwater coral nursery has been constructed, where 20 different species of coral are now housed and many of which will shortly be ready to be transplanted back onto the reef.  Following the successful trial of the methodology, WiseOceans will continue to expand the nursery to accommodate further fragments, helping to reach the Project's goal of restoring 10,000 square metres (108,000 square feet) of reef at Petite Anse.

Speaking about the anniversary, Adrian Messerli, General Manager, commented: “The WiseOceans team has done an incredible job of educating our guests and contributing to our environmental efforts. I am hugely proud that we can work in partnership with such an expert in the  field of marine conservation and be a part of this unique and pioneering project, which has seen such successful results in a short period of time.”

The Reef Restoration Project runs alongside the Resort’s commitment to the environment and adds another dimension to the varied program of marine discovery activities currently offered at the beach of Petite Anse bay by the WiseOceans team. Committed to sustainability and protecting the environment, Four Seasons Resort Seychelles has a developed system of recycling, water treatment, energy conservation and waste reduction that has contributed to the Resort receiving the Seychelles Sustainability Tourism Label.