|
The Nesocodon Mauritian, or Clochette Bleue, is the symbol of the partnership between the Company Sucriere de Bel Ombre Ltd and MWF. The Company Sucriere de Bel Ombre Ltd has engaged in a three-year programme for the restoration, conservation and management of their forests at Bel Ombre, Case Noyale and Chamarel. This flowering plant of a delicate blue colour is endemic to Mauritius and a specimen was found on the cliffs of Cascade 500 pieds on 26 April 1976 in Bel Ombre. It was first described by Swedish biologist Mats Thulin in 1980. From the Campanulaceae family, the Clochette Bleue is critically endangered and represents the extent of the Company Sucriere de Bel Ombre Ltd's engagement in the MWF programme. It grows in small pockets of peat on the steep cliffs with some water and sun. It reaches about 40 cm. New plants are grown from seeds and it might be possible to reproduce the plant from cuttings. The forests at Bel Ombre are high quality native ones. The mountainous topography isolates the region from aggressive development, keeping the place tranquil. While being visited by birds the Clochette Bleue secretes a scarlet red nectar similar to that of two other Mauritian plants (Trochetia blackburniana and Trochetia boutoniana). Floral nectar inducing pollination usually lacks colouring agents. However the Clochette Bleue breaks this rule with its bright red nectar; currently, the role of this Coloration remains unclear. The company's objective is to further the preservation of the wildness of Bel Ombre, Case Noyale and Chamarel, through their actions with MWF, enhancing the natural beauty of the area. The company wishes to fully participate in promoting the importance protecting our ecosystem and is already involved in ecotourism business activities. The Company Sucriere de Bel Ombre ltd agrees with the principle that conservation of biological diversity 'must go through nurturing the human diversity that protects and develops it. The Company Sucriere de Bel Ombre Ltd has chosen to join in and be active.
|