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A CELEBRATION OF THE MAURITIAN COUNTRYSIDE
Of the hundreds of acres that stretch as far as the eye can see, the majority will remain largely outside the golfcourse project. Bertrand d'Unienville, its landscape designer, sees it as a real opportunity: “This kind of project
is like a blank page. The new course provides a unique opportunity to design a golf setting that blends in with
the Mauritian countryside. It is up to us to create a formula that works environmentally within the existing
landscape and over time. That’s the main driver behind everything being undertaken within the Bel Ombre
estate.”
As a result of its physical location, the Reserve’s course will indeed create an ecological link between the
hillsides and the sea, using endemic and native grasses which are suitable for the immediate surroundings
of a golf course. “The choice of species that will be used for large meadows around the course has been
made by studying the immediate perimeters of the course. We’ve particularly been seeking grasses that look
after themselves, those that are found naturally in the soil here and don’t need us to water them. It’s from
that starting point that we have built up a spectrum of plants that blends in with the existing vegetation.” As
Bertrand d'Unienville goes on to say, “The idea isn’t to recreate a natural environment such as existed in the
past but, with responsible landscaping techniques, to make use of available species that suit and blend in with
the setting. The golf course is a great opportunity to celebrate the Mauritian countryside. Melinis repens and
Bothriochloa insculpta are two of these naturalised species which we have been able to use to create a plant
palette on the terrain in keeping with that already there.”
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