Mauritius

0.19 hectares

Sov Lanatir is exploring and initiating faith-based land restoration efforts grounded in the cultural and ecological realities of Mauritius, an island nation where land, sea, and spirituality are deeply interwoven. One of their emerging actions involves restoring mangrove ecosystems in Trou dEau Douce, a coastal village in the Flacq district, through an interfaith collaboration that invites participation from multiple religious spaces within the community. This work is shaped by the lived relationships between people, their spiritual traditions, and the land. The organization is in the proces of facilitating dialogues and storytelling sessions within three places of worship a Hindu temple, a church, and a mosque to uncover faith-based ecological ethics and motivate practical, collective care for the coastline. While the initial restoration activities include community mangrove planting, monitoring using ecological methods like quadrats, and youth engagement, their broader intention is to build a long-term culture of care that is both spiritual and intergenerational. In small island states like ours, the degradation of land is not only an environmental los it is a wounding of memory, identity, and belonging. Grassroots initiative, the organization is actively seeking support and training to deepen their understanding of faith-integrated restoration approaches, and to learn from other contexts where spirituality serves non-transparent, and often non-scientifically driven administrative system. Mangrove planting, even when aligned with national environmental goals, requires separate approvals from various ministries and bodies such as Environment, Agro-Industry and Food Security, Fisheries and Blue Economy, and the National Parks and Conservation Service each with its own procedures and timelines. There is no unified framework or clear point of contact for civil society, leading to delays, duplication, and jurisdictional confusion. The organization believe that more integrated, transparent, and community-friendly processes are essential to support meaningful and sustainable land restoration acros Mauritius.