The ecological organisation, Nature Watch, is relieved. The acting prime minister, Rashid Beebeejaun, had announced that the South Eastern Highway would be built according to plan. But as soon as the prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, came back from his official visit to Madagascar, he was quick to say there had been a “misunderstanding” and that his government would do everything possible to avoid building a new road through the endangered forest.

Rashid Beebeejaun’s statement that the highway would go through the forest was in contradiction with the PM’s promises during the electoral campaign. So, Navin Ramgoolam called Alvin Brigemohun, the president of Nature Watch, to make an appointment. He indeed met the latter as well as the secretary general of the NGO, John Lam, and expressed his desire to save the forest. However, nothing has been said about the concrete measures that will be taken.

Meanwhile, the PM said he wanted the Environmental Monitoring Committee (EMC) to propose a way of building the highway around Ferney forest. This would mean that the two proposals made by the Road Development Authority (RDA) would be abandoned.

The former PM, Paul Bérenger, had said before the elections that he had considered every option to try and avoid the forest – including the phasing out of the project. However, this would have involved a waste of a lot of money. Rs 325 million would have to be paid to the Chinese firm, to which the contract has been allocated, the Beijing Chang Cheng Construction Corporation (BCCCC). According to Nature Watch, Navin Ramgoolam said he wanted to negotiate with the Chinese firm.

<B>“Nothing is finalised”</B>

Ecologists are also insisting that the compensation would not be as high as it appeared at first sight. The fact is that the mitigation measures proposed by the New World Forestry Consultancy Service will cost between Rs 182 million and Rs 485 million. This amount should be spread over a 20 year-period but the government would have to pay Rs 8.6 million immediately.

For the moment, the confrontation between the Common Front for the Preservation of the Ferney Forest (including Nature Watch) and the government is still on. The Common Front asked for an injunction to interrupt the project as soon as the Chinese company started the works.

The PM has shown much interest in reviewing the project. However, Nature Watch does not want to take the risk of stopping the process until it is sure the government will keep its promise to avoid the forest. “Nothing is finalised,” admits John Lam.

“Navin Ramgoolam knows the issue and all its implications very well. We all agree on the fact that the forest should be spared,” declared Alvin Brigemohun. The fact that Navin Ramgoolam has asked them to sit on the EMC is considered as a step in the right direction for Nature Watch. The ministry of the Environment, the National Parks and Conservation Service, the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation and the university of Mauritius are the other members of the EMC.

In the programme-speech read by the president of the Republic last Friday, the government expressed its commitment to give special attention to the environment. “The programme-speech is positive. It shows that the government has studied all environmental issues and that it has a long-term strategy,” said John Lam after the presentation, visibly confident. If the government keeps its commitments, the Ferney Valley should survive!