Six Senses Zil
Pasyon’s Corals
Restoration
Project on Track
In May 2019 the sustainability team
at Six Senses Zil Pasyon proudly
announced the completion of the
first stage of their coral restoration
project. The initiative was started in
October 2017 on the surrounding reef
of Félicité with over a thousand grown
corals being transplanted back to the
reef in the marine protected area
between the northern side of Félicité
and Coco Island. It is part of a larger
habitat restoration plan that continues
to unroll on the island in collaboration
with two local NGOs;
the Ramos Marine &
Island Reserve and
Nature Seychelles
alongside the
Seychelles National Parks Authority
(SNPA).
The team use resilient coral plants that
have survived coral bleaching due to
global heating and climate crisis and
are able to thrive in warmer water,
planting two coral species on the reef
to ensure diversity and a healthy, self-
sustaining ecosystem.
An underwater nursery was
built for the corals to grow
before they are transplanted
on the reef. This mid-water
structure of 66 x 20 feet
(20 x 6 meters) consisted
of 22 ropes attached to
PVC pipes, anchored
to the seafloor and kept
afloat using jerry cans. The
nursery was situated around
23 feet from the surface to avoid
sedimentation, coral predators and to
facilitate an optimal light for faster
coral growth. Because of their growth,
survival rates, and their resistance to
the temperature anomalies in 2016,
the species selected were Pocillopora
grandis and Acropora abrotanoides.
1,750 coral fragments were stocked
in the nursery by August 2018 and
transplantation started in October
2018. Grown corals were fixed to the
rocky seafloor or on old dead coral
with a mix of water-resistant materials.
Results were seen within three months
and the project was completed in
May 2019 with 1,339 successfully
transplanted corals over the 1,750
grown colonies. Initially, the sizes
varied between 1.20 to 4.3 inches and
at the final stage of the project some
had reach around 15.74 inches.
Bulgari Beach Cleansing
Ritual
The Bulgari Resort Bali have incorporated Melukat, a
purifying ceremony designed to cleanse both body and
mind, into their wellness program. The ritual is inspired by
an ancient Balinese tradition and said to dismiss bad omens
to prevent illness and bad luck. Guests take part in the
ritual on the resort’s private beach, dressed in traditional
attire and met by a Balinese priest who leads them through
the experience.
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