Ecological notes
The Oasis
The oasis evokes a refuge, paradise. It offers water, refreshing and abundant. It is a multi-level ecosystem: the upper stratum (palm trees) creates a microclimate (partial shade and relative humidity) favourable to the growth of the lower strata: shrubs and bushes, then small plants.
The agricultural oasis, as found in North Africa and the Middle East, consists of date palms, then fruit trees (orange, guava) and also cereals (occasionally vegetables). Here, the date palms are replaced by Madagascar palms, the fruits trees by flowering bushes (Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Bauhinia sp, etc.), and the cereals by lawn grass.
1998: location photos, the oasis is laid out in a natural hollow, behind the beach. Three filters to protect the plants from the ocean spray: panels of woven palm fronds, curtains of sugar cane and thickets of bougainvillea.[/caption]
Work-site: the pirogues return with young coconut palms harvested in the neighbouring village’s vegetable gardens.[/caption]
Work-site: thanks to the wind-breakers and the water, the vegetation takes root.[/caption]
The oasis spreads luxuriantly around the pond.[/caption]
