Almost twenty employees of the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) recently volunteered with the Forestry Department to plant over two hundred trees at the Má Kote Mangrove in Vieux-Fort. The Forestry Department is planting four thousand trees in the dieback area (mangrove trees dying as a result of natural and human-related causes) of the Má Kote Mangrove. Mangroves are among the most valuable ecosystems in the world whose role in protecting coastlines against natural hazards such as storms and coastal erosion is widely acknowledged. Chief Forestry Officer Adams Toussaint says the Má Kote Mangrove is also a protected area that provides employment. The LUCELEC volunteers were taught the importance of the Má Kote mangrove and how to plant in the swampy, murky waters of the mangrove. The team building exercise fostered camaraderie among members as they trudged through the area planting the much needed trees. Tree planting and assisting the Forestry Department in their efforts in that regard is an important component of LUCELEC’s environmental sustainability thrust.