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History of Ferme Corail |
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 THE
LIME INDUSTRY
Long before it had any connection with sea turtles, the Kelonia site had been dedicated to lime production from nearby coral
reefs. In 1940 the tallest lime furnace on the island was built there
but within ten years it began experiencing competition from imported
lime and cement. By 1960 it was no longer viable and was closed. In 1969
the Prefecture prohibited any further coral extraction from the lagoon
and the production of lime from coral died out. It had been a very
labour intensive industry.
As had his father before him, Jean Marc Atrigo had been
employed at the furnace until its closure. “It was hard work. The whole
day long we carried baskets of coral on our heads. Often the lime stuck
to our skin. In order to get it off we rubbed down with coconut oil...”
THE TURTLE INDUSTRY, THE FARM CORAIL
In 1977 the laying of the foundation stone of the “Ferme Corail” raised great expectations in Reunion. Financed by local and
metropolitan capital and with the support of local communities this
innovative aquaculture establishment was expected to create employment
and earn foreign exchange through international export of primarily
turtle products. The St Leu pilot project was expected to lead to a
facility producing 1000 tonnes of products annually. However from the
very beginning the farm attracted serious criticism from Paris-based and
other international Non Government Environmental Organisations opposed
to turtle farming on grounds of principle.
The turtle ranching component quickly developed a viable
economic network on Reunion. The training of artisans to work with
turtle products was very successful. Between 1980 and 1982 seven craft
centres working with tortoiseshell, leather and bone were established. A
regular supply of turtles enabled restaurants to offer turtle meat and
soup and the industry to offer samoussas, smoked meat, canned soups and
stews and marine turtle liver spreads and pates. In small quantities
turtle meat was made available for some local school facilities.
TURTLE RANCHING
The ranching of marine turtles is based on the collection of
wild turtle hatchlings on natural nesting beaches and the raising of
these hatchlings in captivity until they have reached a marketable size.
A ranch is entirely dependant on natural reproduction on wild beaches.
A breeding farm of marine turtles, by contrast, requires the
maintenance of a large herd of adult animals in a very large and
expensive artificial facility. The intention is then to have the captive
adults lay eggs within the farm which are then hatched and reared for
slaughter at an appropriate size.
The Saint Leu ranch captured newborn hatchlings on the
nesting islands of Europa and Tromelin where several million hatchlings
are born every year. In order to reduce any possible threat to the
normal hatchling production on the islands only those hatchlings
emerging during daylight, and thus normally all killed by predatory
birds (especially frigate birds) were gathered. The exact quantity of
hatchlings collected was determined by the Prefecture following a study
by ISTPM (now IFREMER) on the estimated number of nesting animals
visiting these islands. Results were based on the number of nesting
tracks counted daily by the personnel of Meteo France then based on the
islands.
Despite this endeavour soundly based on the sustainable use
of a massive natural resource, the ranching project continued to attract
criticism from environmental NGOs. The operational situation became more
difficult in 1981 when marine turtles were listed under Appendix 1 of
the Washington Convention (better known as the Convention for the
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)). This listing
effectively prohibited the export of turtles or their products
internationally.
Responding to the recognition that wild turtles were a
valuable resource the Prefecture in 1983 proclaimed a “Cease and Desist”
order that effectively protected wild turtles. France declared a
Reservation regarding the listing of its green turtle population and in
1984 appointed an international Tribunal to investigate the Farm Corail
and make recommendations regarding the future of the farm, with emphasis
on conclusions concerning the any threats the farm might pose to the
wild populations from which the hatchlings were collected. It was the
firm opinion of the Tribunal that the farm had great value to the people
of Reunion, was operated efficiently and posed no threat to wild
populations of green turtles.
Despite this report France did not succeed in convincing
CITES of the value of the farm and regrettably stopped the lucrative
export of turtle products from Reunion. This effectively limited the
market to Reunion itself an island ill placed to purchase high value
products the sale of which provided the economic viability of the farm.
The argument against turtle farming especially amongst many
environmental non-government organisations, was that the production of
farmed or ranched turtle products would encourage the poaching of
turtles around the world.
The opposite view, that the production of responsibly ranched
turtle products would be an aid to conservation efforts, is gradually
gaining credence following the huge success of a broad spectrum of
wildlife farming in South Africa, the spread of crocodile farming around
the world (which has virtually wiped out the poaching of wild
crocodiles) and the restoration of vicuna populations in South America
following the introduction of controlled and sustainable utilisation
programmes.
FISH FARMING
Oreochromis mossambicus a fish capable of surviving high
saline variations. The ranch soon mastered the reproduction of this fish
on site which led to the more efficient utilisation of the turtle ponds
and the maximum consumption of the food distributed to the turtles.
By the 1990s up to 25 tonnes per year of this fish were
supplied to restaurants and fish stores under the name “Corail Red”, a
reference to its bright uniform red colour. After having successfully
bred more than 15 generations of this Tilapia in sea water, and exported
the fish to West Africa, this aquaculture programme was terminated just
a few years after the end of the turtle ranching endeavour with which it
had been associated.
AN UNFORTUNATE END TO AN UNNECESSARY CONTROVERSY
The St Leu ranch was a symbol of success for a Reunion that
was seen to be innovating to free itself from an endemic high
unemployment rate and to help its trade balance by exporting high value
products made in Reunion. The supporters of the ranch believed, and many
still do, that the marketing of ranched products would have the effect
of lowering the pressure on wild populations. Certainly the association
of the ranch with the wild populations on the islands of Europa and
Tromelin guaranteed the protection of those islands to ensure the
continuity of hatchling collections. In fact Reunion had, as a result of
the interest generated in marine turtles, already declared all its
turtle islands as protected nature reserves as the farm was established.
This was surely a great conservation achievement!
At its height in the 1980s the Corail Turtle Farm had become
the most visited tourist site on Reunion Island and had created over 80
full time jobs. A singular contribution to the well being of the people
of Reunion.
Fortunately the Reunion Council, in its traditional support
of matters concerning marine turtles, has remained faithful to the
belief that turtles are capable of sustainable utilisation,even if
mainly non-consumptive at this time, and has made available the
resources necessary to create Kelonia. This innovative centre of
excellence for marine turtle research and public education, with huge
tourism value, is a testament to the vision of the people of Reunion
Island.
FROM CORAIL TO KELONIA
In 1989 The Reunion Regional Council decided to lend its
support to marine turtle activities involving research, conservation and
tourism by buying the Corail Farm complex and petitioned the appropriate
Ministry to establish a legal framework under which a new Institution
could operate.
 In
1994 the Environmental Ministry decided to prohibit the commercial sale
of turtle products but declared a moratorium on the prohibition whilst
planning for a new direction were considered. The Regional Council
decided to transform the old farm into a site of excellence the goals of
which were marine turtle research and education. The “Rehabilitation of
the Corail Farm” was then financed by the Council and the European
Union. Work began in 2004 and Kelonia was opened on 16 August 2006.
THE EXHIBITIONS
The exhibitions have been designed to illustrate the role of
sustainable utilisation especially that based on marine resources. The
purpose is to encourage visitors to reflect on the necessity and the
difficulty of reconciling economic factors, society, environment and
culture. It is for this reason that great emphasis is placed on social
science as well as natural science to illustrate the exceptional
characteristics of marine turtles and the innumerable and interesting
bonds that tie them to human cultures.
Source: Oficial website of
Kélonia (2009)
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