Cascavelle, septembre 2025: Casela Nature Parks hosted on September 17 and 18, the second edition of the Biodiversity Workshop that was held in partnership with Business Mauritius, CAP Business Océan Indien, Nature Yetu, as well as several stakeholders bringing together several enterprises, experts, NGOs, and public institutions sharing a common aim: to make biodiversity a national priority at the heart of sustainable development. The edition is considered to be a first with an immersion at the heart of the Yemen Reserve, a Key Biodiversity Area of Mauritius.
The two-day event witnessed fruitful exchanges with plenary sessions, collaborative workshops, and groundwork to the benefit of participants, while the programme has put into perspective international commitment, regulatory framework such as the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), as well as the ongoing evolution under the aegis of the National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP). It also explored the role that the private sector is expected to play to help transform risks pertaining to biodiversity in terms of opportunity for collaboration.
General Manager at the Casela Nature Parks, Thierry Arékion commented: “At Casela, we believe that each part of diversity narrates a story, and this workshop poses as an instrument to make it visible, understandable, and protected. As host, our ambition is to show the way: Raise awareness, inspire, and above all help catalyse sustainable actions that will last beyond these days.”
On the other hand, Sustainability Manager at the Medine Group, Uma Jokhun, insists on the importance of collective mobilisation: “For Medine, this active participation of enterprises stands essential. This workshop showcases the possibility to go beyond a simple awareness to create a concrete movement through the concerted efforts of the private sector, NGO, and public institutions that we would be able to put value to recommendations from the workshops and help ensure a real impact for Mauritius’ biodiversity.”
This second edition is a continuation of the first meeting organized in 2024, marking an important step in the follow-up of the dialogue between different sectors. During the immersive workshops and presentations, the participants were able to discuss common challenges, identify avenues for collaboration, and contribute to the construction of a national platform to harness dialogue and tangible actions. The recommendations hailing from the working groups will now feed into future initiatives aimed at strengthening the national strategy and guiding future restoration, conservation, and awareness-raising projects.
By putting biodiversity at the heart of its priorities, Casela reminds that the economic, social, and environmental resilience of the island lies in a concerted and integrated approach. The Biodiversity Workshop is more than a simple workshop, as it poses as a space for exchanges and co-construction by mobilizing goodwill to foster concrete initiatives at the service of the country and its ecosystem. It sends a clear message: Nature is for everybody, and its preservation cannot depend on one stakeholder, where only a collective commitment and strong collaboration can help drive a large-scale, sustainable impact and a resilient future.
