Air Mauritius pledges support to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation's conservation activities
Fri 13 June 2008 – Air Mauritius and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that is aimed at supporting the conservation of local birdlife, such as the Paille-en-Queue, a long-tailed tropical bird that is the symbol of Air Mauritius, the Rodrigues warbler and the Rodrigues fody.
The airline has also started the ‘One Take-off, One Tree’ project in which one endemic tree will be planted for each take-off of an Air Mauritius flight from Mauritius and the neighbouring island of Rodrigues. Around 6,000 trees will be planted annually to help restore natural habitats and create local awareness.
“The environment is a top priority on the aviation industry’s agenda,” said Manoj RK Ujoodha, the airline’s CEO. “This is why we welcome the ‘Aviation Industry Commitment to Action on Climate Change’ declaration signed by the industry’s leaders in Geneva in April, to which Air Mauritius has vouched its full support. The MoU with MWF comes at an appropriate time and shows our continued commitment to the preservation of the environment. The tree project is a small but highly symbolic step to help create awareness internally and externally on conservation issues.”
Jacques Jullienne, Executive Director of MWF, said the two organizations had a longstanding relationship going back to the days when naturalist and author Gerald Durrell had acted to save the endangered Parakeet and Pink Pigeon, which are now surviving in the wild. “This collaboration is a clear demonstration of the commitment of Air Mauritius to the conservation of our unique biodiversity and gives hope to our future efforts in restoring the native habitat in Mauritius and Rodrigues.
“To have the support from local corporate is a must for our organization today. We are therefore delighted to have Air Mauritius on board.”
Air Mauritius and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) are hosting a conference on aviation and the environment on October 30. The airline will also be broadcasting an IATA film on the environment on all its medium- and long-haul flights from August 1.