ERES Togo, with funding support from Rubis Asphalt Middle East, launched on Friday, June 3, the mangrove restoration project on Ghin Island in Aného, a city in eastern Togo.
This island at the confluence of Lake Togo and the Gulf of Guinea suffers from erosion of strong currents related to the inflow and outflow of water in the lake during the tides. The objective is aim to plant 5000 mangrove trees around the island and 4000 trees of other species (Khaya, Cola gigantea, Mitragina inermis, Ebony, Gmelina, Campeche logwood, Dialium, Pterocarpus erinaceus) in the interior of the island, on a total area of 32ha.
We chose this type of reforestation for the strong impact it will have both on local populations and on CO2 storage. Mangroves have a CO2 storage capacity up to 8 times higher than traditional terrestrial forests and mangroves require very little maintenance as they are partially in the water. Mangroves are also part of a complex ecosystem, combining aquatic fauna, birds and rodents. The roots provide a great refuge and spawning ground for fish and shellfish. The local economic activity will benefit from this improvement of the halieutic resource (shrimps and fish) in the lake and the mangroves will reinforce the tourist attractiveness of the city.
Following by the maintenance and awareness program for local populations, especially children, on the preservation of the environment and the importance of the mangrove, this sustainable project is fully in line with objective 1 (reduce the environmental footprint) and 3 (contribute to a more virtuous society) of the Rubis group’s CSR approach.
