The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, proceeded on Sunday morning, with the inauguration of the Belle Vue Forest Trails at Daruty, Petit Raffray, to mark the 2022 International Day of the Forests. This year’s theme is Forests and sustainable production and consumption. The Belle Vue Forest Trails at Daruty has been chosen as the ideal place to mark the event by connecting the people with forests. The aim is to create awareness and visibility of the planted forests in Mauritius and the unique destination it offers for nature lovers and those seeking peace and tranquillity.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo, the Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin, the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint, the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, as well as the Parliamentary Private Secretaries, Dr Anjiv Ramdhany, Mr Sharvanand Ramkaun, and Mr Rajanah Dhaliah, and other personalities were present at the inauguration ceremony.
A pamphlet was also launched on that occasion following which the Prime Minister proceeded with a tree planting ceremony and undertook a trek along the Belle Vue Forest Trails accompanied with other personalities.
In a statement, Minister Gobin recalled that the Belle Vue Forest Trails have been inaugurated in the context of International Day of the Forests celebrated each year on 21 March as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly since 2012. He highlighted that the Daruty Forest covers an area of over 100 Ha and that the Forest Trails are accessible for citizens and are composed of varied loops which are of different difficulty levels. The Minister also appealed to Mauritians to practice a physical activity.
Daruty Forest Trails
The Forest Trails are situated at Petit Raffray in the North and are crossed by the Vale Road (B12). The forest is mostly composed of planted exotic species of commercial value that played a significant role in the development of Mauritius in terms of employment and supplying timber to the forest industries involved in providing raw materials to the construction, livestock and agricultural sectors.
The Daruty forest extends over an area of 108.22 Ha, comprising of various botanical species giving an immersive experience of the history and beauty of Mauritius’s natural environment with its mature flowering trees (Tabebuia pallida, Swieteniamahagoni, Cordia alliodora, Gmelina arborea, Vitex glabrata, Juniperusbermudiana, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Araucaria cunninghamii, Eucalyptus citriodora, Agathis robusta, Cassia siamea, Dalbergialatifolia).
The site also harbours the vestiges of an earlier model of a sugar mill during of colonial times.
The Daruty Forest Trails are appealing in terms of ease of trek and are flat in nature. The lack of water accumulation on the tracks are ideal for young and old alike to trek over a multi looped circuit that appeals for people of every fitness level.
The trekking distance varies from 500 metres to around 3 km per loop. The high number of users during daytime and excellent visibility all around the trek areas renders the place safe.
