International students revegetate Saint-Leu beach

Last Saturday, February 11, international students responded to the call of the CEDTM (Center for the Study and Discovery of Marine Turtles), an association which works for the conservation of marine turtles and their habitats in Reunion.

Accompanied by the very dynamic Maëva from the ISRUN association (International Students of Reunion Island), 19 students from Germany, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Ivory Coast, Spain, Morocco, Mozambique and Switzerland put on their caps, sneakers and sunglasses to head towards Saint-Leu. Arriving on site early in the morning, they met the volunteer staff of the CEDTM and collected the small potted plants, with the mission of revegetating the turtle nesting beach of Saint-Leu. It was with a smile that the small team set about the task, under a blazing sun, but in a dream setting.

By rehabilitating the beaches of our island, the students certainly helped the association, but also learned a lot about the terrestrial and marine biodiversity of Reunion; and on the interaction between the two. This outing complements a course on the environment and biodiversity of Reunion Island that the DRI already offers to international students.

The action is also in line with the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 program which has made supporting the ecological transition one of its priorities. Indeed, the mobility program aims to provide the citizens of tomorrow with knowledge of environmental issues in order to transform them into real agents of change.