On January 3, 2025, the aftermath of Cyclone Chido continues to reveal its devastating impact on both infrastructure and the natural environment of Mayotte, including its iconic coral reefs.
The cyclone not only ravaged buildings and infrastructure but also caused significant damage to the island’s terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The Deep Blue Exploration association, which monitors the health of the region’s natural habitats, began assessing the destruction on the coral reefs. Corals, already weakened and bleached by the El Niño phenomenon, have been crushed by the cyclone’s waves.
The natural environments of Mayotte still bear the scars of Cyclone Chido’s passage. On land, vegetation has been devastated, while at sea, the coral reef has suffered heavy losses. Gabriel Barathieu, president of Deep Blue Exploration, explained their findings on Mtsangadoua Beach in the island’s north: « This is the third site we’ve assessed. We’ve already visited Sakouli and N’gouja. »
In the island’s northern, southeastern, and southwestern regions, the damage is consistent. « By the drop-off, the corals that were still healthy remained intact, with just a few branches broken. But what was already weakened by the El Niño event in March and April, everything that had been bleached and was half-dead, was pulverized by the waves, » Barathieu reported. The depths between 10 and 20 meters are now littered with broken coral pieces. « It’s a lunar landscape with nothing but coral debris, » he added.
Rebuilding this ecosystem could take up to twenty years, as some species grow less than a centimeter annually. « That is, unless there are further bleaching events, either from climate change or human activity, » Barathieu cautioned. « It’s clear that some areas are now covered in algae, which is a bad sign for the corals, especially since we are just at the start of summer and the water is still warming up. We’ll have to see, » he concluded.
The association is currently limited in its assessment, as it has lost all of its boats, preventing it from reaching the offshore areas to check the condition of the coral barrier.
