Environmental Protection and Conservation Organisation (EPCO)

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Environmental Protection and Conservation Organisation (EPCO) is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) found in the Republic of Mauritius. We were founded in 1988 and have more than 30 years of experience working in the field of environment especially terrestrial, marine and freshwater and coastal biodiversity. We have also worked on climate change and disaster risk management projects in Mauritius. Our motto is to 'Conserve what our children deserve'.

Goals:
• To improve the conservation of biodiversity through educational, scientific management and training programmes
• To improve the quality of life of local communities through management and conservation of natural resources
• To ensure that the natural environment is used wisely and continues to be available for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations
• To decrease vulnerability and improve adaptation capacity among poor local communities associated with climate change

Main Areas of Work
• Education: Awareness campaigns with the public; Educational campaigns in primary and secondary schools; Workshops on a wide range of environmental problems (climate change, marine ecosystem, environmental awareness).
• Projects: Poverty alleviation/Community-based projects; Scientific and technical projects; Data collection – Beach monitoring, snail trail of destruction, vulnerability indexes; Corporate Social Responsibility projects; Internship/Volunteering programmes; Handmade/recycled crafts (Made in Heaven).
• Management: Event management and organisation – World Environment Day/World Wetlands Day; Consultancy on environmental management.

Projects:
• MV Wakashio Project - Post oil spill emergency plan: Bringing the affected fishermen and sea users community back to life. The project will be a mobile caravan where different exhibits on alternative livelihood will be prepared and showcased in all the 17 coastal villages affected by the oil spill. The exhibits will cover: Small scale aquaculture demonstration; Small-scale community-based sustainable agriculture demonstration; Apiculture demonstration; Animal husbandry demonstration.
• Mythic Grand Gaube Project - Empowering women and girls for sustainable development: The goal of the project is to work in collaboration with ‘Etoile de mer women’s club’ which is a local organisation comprised mainly of marginalised women located in the village of Gaube Gaube. EPCO will be developing several modules addressing the following issues: Climate Change (Adaptation and Mitigation); Self-Employment (Skill development – tourist sector); Health & Safety (At home/work); Social services (Health, banking, social security, etc).
• Satoyama Development Mechanism (SDM) Project: EPCO will be implementing a demonstration project on crab culture in the region of Baie du Cap around Macondee

Events and campaigns:
• GNDR Coordination Meeting: EPCO with the support of The Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR) will be organising a coordination meeting in Mauritius in March 2021.
• Vivo Energy Campaign: In collaboration with Vivo Energy Mauritius, EPCO undertook outreach efforts to inform residents of the potential safety hazards of using Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and distribute new rubber hosing.
• Ride for the Planet: In 2015, EPCO organised a bicycle rally campaign which was entitled ‘Ride for the Planet’. The goal of this campaign was to promote the use of recycle materials and also to reduce our carbon impact on the Environment. The participants were given recycled material to decorate their bicycle with clear messages on how to adapt to climate change.

Daksh Beeharry Panray is the Vice President & Project Leader of Environmental Protection & Conservation Organisation (EPCO).

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.