We went up to the old bauxite mines, a major producer of aluminum which was mined in the 20’s by the Japanese. In the midst of getting caught in the rain, we planted native trees in order to help restore the land. We put coconut shells and palm fronds over the seedlings to protect them from the shade and help retain moisture.
After the plant restorations, we headed for lunch and a stroll to Kuabes beach, where we found sea cucumbers, several fish species, coral, and hermit crabs as we walked the low tides.
After planting the saplings, we had to replenish the seed supply so the group worked on breaking open seed husks and planting the seeds so that we may have more seedlings for the mine restoration later.
We also worked on processing coconuts. We saw how to break open the husks, take out the coconut, crack it open, and how to scrape it out. Ebiil kitchen will use the shavings to make coconut milk.
We literally went from ridge to reef today, being able to plant seedlings on the restored mine land and walk the low tide by the reef. In doing this, we got to see the benfit of vegetation and how it plays a part in stopping the sedimentary run off into the ocean which affects the vulnerable coral reefs.
Today’s blog post was written by Kasia and Adam.