Port Louis [Mauritius], February 28 : Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has announced that his country is committed to playing a leading role in conserving the marine park around the Chagos Archipelago, Mauritius-based Le Matinal reported. He stated that the marine park will protect and conserve this unique environment for future generations.
Pravind Jugnauth made the remarks while attending a workshop on the creation of a zone to protect the marine environment around the Chagos Islands at the Intercontinental Resort in Balaclava on Tuesday, according to Le Matinal report. The Mauritius Prime Minister's Office in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London organised the conference.
Jugnauth also spoke about the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice in favour of Mauritius on the sovereignty of Mauritius over the Chagos Islands. Olivier Bancoult, leader of the Chagos Refugees Group, attended the workshop on the creation of a marine protected area around the Chagos Islands.
Bancoult recalled that the UK government in 2010 excluded the Chagossians from talks on the proposed marine protected area around the archipelago, Le Matinal reported. He stressed that it is imperative to include the Chagossians in the implementation process of any project regarding the Chagos archipelago.
Highlighting the importance of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) workshop, Jugnauth spoke about the unparalleled richness of marine life the Chagos Archipelago harbours and the potential threats it faces. He lauded the participants for their commitment to preserving the marine environment of the Chagos Archipelago and encouraged them to participate in the discussions, and contribute to the development of a robust framework for the creation of the MPA.
He spoke about the historical and legal background regarding the status of the Chagos Archipelago under international law and cited Resolution 73/295 passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2019. He emphasised that discussions on the creation of an MPA in the Chagos Archipelago hold profound significance, according to Le Matinal reported.
He highlighted the importance of intertwining the traditional wisdom and local knowledge of the Chagossians with state-of-the-art management techniques and cutting-edge technologies in order to develop a blueprint that conserves the unique biodiversity of the Chagos Archipelago and strengthens harmonious coexistence between nature and communities.
He committed to using state-of-the-art satellite imaging, Geographic Information System technologies, underwater sensor networks, artificial intelligence and other advanced tools to obtain real-time data on the health of coral reefs, marine biodiversity and changes in the physical and underwater environment, according to the report.
Zoological Society of London Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Matthew Gould praised the scientists, experts, policymakers, and community representatives, who participated in the conference with the shared mission to protect nature in Mauritius, the Indian Ocean, and beyond. He noted that the event is part of an important step on the path of creating the MPA of the Chagos Archipelago.
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