RIU launches two partnerships in Mauritius for marine conservation and youth vocational training

Indian Ocean

The hotel chain will now collaborate with the Coral Garden Conservation and Adolescent Non-Formal Education Network. These are the first NGOs that RIU will work with on the island.

RIU Hotels & Resorts has taken a further step forward in its Proudly Committed sustainability strategy with the announcement of its first collaboration with two local NGOs in Mauritius, the Coral Garden Conservation (CGC) and Adolescent Non-Formal Education Network (ANFEN). Both alliances aspire to have a positive impact on the local environment and community by promoting ecological restoration and social inclusion.

CGC’s Le Morne Coral Restoration project aims to restore at least one hectare of degraded reefs in the Le Morne lagoon over the next three years. To do so, it will create nurseries where different species of coral will be cultivated and later transplanted to deteriorated areas, thereby helping increase marine biodiversity. What’s more, the initiative will train local fishers as "coral gardeners" to ensure that the project is sustainable. This integration strengthens the link between environmental conservation and economic opportunities for coastal communities in Mauritius.

Through its collaboration with ANFEN, RIU will support the Ecole Culinaire Aline Leal, an educational programme that offers technical food preparation training for teenagers at risk of social exclusion who have dropped out of the traditional education system. This project not only improves their technical skills and employability, but also addresses aspects related to literacy, life skills and personal development. The initiative seeks to ensure that young people from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds have equal opportunities and can therefore join the labour market more easily.

In addition to these collaborations, RIU has several biodiversity protection initiatives that also aim to preserve coral reefs and marine ecosystems in destinations such as the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain and Maldives. It also promotes social inclusion programmes in a number of countries, with a special focus on the employability of vulnerable young people in Mexico and Spain. These initiatives are part of RIU's Proudly Committed sustainability strategy, aimed at generating a positive impact on the local communities and environment in the chain’s destinations.