The access trail leading to Trois Frères mountain has been closed down for safety reasons, the environment ministry has announced.

Speaking during question time session in the National Assembly on Tuesday October 7, environment minister Ronny Jumeau explained that visitors could not go any further up after the viewing kiosk, because the trail has become too steep as a result of erosion and posed a great risk to people attempting to climb up to the mountain. 

As a result of the steep slope, he added, it was likewise very difficult for the ministry to continue maintaining the trail.

Minister Jumeau said it was also necessary to bar public access to the whole area to facilitate scientific research being carried out by experts from the UK-based Eden Project on one of the country's most delicate and rare species, the wild benjamine. This kind of wild flower, he said, could only be found on Trois Frères and on Silhouette island and it needed to be protected.

With the mountain commonly used as a pilgrimage site by the Roman Catholic Church, especially on Good Fridays and other religious occasions, Minister Jumeau said his ministry had already informed the Catholic mission about the decision.

People who chose to go beyond the viewing kiosk, Minister Jumeau said, would be doing so at their own risk.

The minister was answering a question put forward by Honourable Alain St Ange of Bel Air about plans to maintain the nature trail.

Minister Jumeau also said the ministry had no plans to open other nature trails in the Bel Ombre district, following an inquiry by its MNA, Hon, Nicholas Prea.  The ministry, he said, already had 25 kilometres of nature trail to monitor and maintain on Mahe alone and did not have enough rangers and forest workers to cover all the areas.

In the case of the national park at Morne Seychellois, the nature trails covers 31.3 square kilometres of land.  The park itself covers 3,126 hectares of land.

The Anse Major nature trail at Bel Ombre, which Minister Jumeau said provided access to Mare Aux Cochons, dan Leo Bernard, Danzilles and other interesting areas, has proven sufficient for the moment.

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