Welcome to TRASS - Terrestrial Restoration Action Society of Seychelles
Born in 1954 on Mahe, the little boy used to follow his mother to work. Not just any work, in any place, but he went to the islands like Providence and Poivre. These were the start to discovering the islands and today he is one of the rare people who has set foot on all of the 115 islands of Seychelles. Having family members working within the environment sector primarily in forestry, meant that the little boy had a growing interest in environmental matters. The boy was inspired by his Grandmother who also worked in Forestry and she taught him the Creole names of all the plants. His inquisitiveness allowed him to obtain a wealth of knowledge.
At the age of 13, the now teenager undertook a very exciting journey with his mum to Diego Garcia. A 15-day sailing in the Ilse of Farquhar (which today docks at Les Mamelles). For 7 months he worked as a Labourer before returning to Mahe. The teenager was delighted to have another opportunity to go to Diego Garcia at the age of 17. This time he was involved in environmental related work such as removal of plant invasive species, site clearance, harvesting of Coconuts for the copra industry etc.
Life on Diego Garcia felt like paradise. Simple island life in a natural landscape, with everything in abundance – fruits, crops, fish, lobsters, you name it! That, was the kind of life! But living in paradise came to an end 21 months later when the Americans came to establish the naval military base on Diego. The Americans blasted the healthy coral reefs amongst other destructions to build the base. These destructions caught the attention of the young man, now 18 years old, who developed an interest to protect the environment particularly the marine life. It was with great sadness and regret that he left Diego Garcia.
Upon returning to the Seychelles he was appointed as an apprentice Marine Park ranger working in the Ste Anne marine park. His experience of islands and diving were a plus for his work. At the same time, he did terrestrial conservation work too because of his interest in forestry. In 1981, he was transferred to Praslin as a Conservation Ranger and this is where he stayed for the rest of his life. He married and raised his family on Praslin. As a Conservation Ranger, he participated in several conservation programmes:
He was also posted as a Warden on Aldabra to do research and logistics. In 1996 he was appointed by the President Rene as a Board member of the Seychelles Island Foundation until 2022 where he continued to share his experiences.
Victorin Laboudallon attended both local and international training in the conservation field including ornithological studies at Cornel University, USA. He is proud owner of several awards and recognitions: International Birdlife Certificate 1997, the Danielle De Ste Jorre’s Environmental award 2002; the Seychelles’ Outstanding award for environmental excellence 2004; and the Commonwealth award 2019.
He published several books namely the Flora of Seychelles (2 volumes), a book on the Vallee de Mai, the Striking plants of Aride Island and Striking nature of Curieuse Island. He also worked with Francis Friedman for the publication of ‘La Flore des Seychelles’.
In 2009, this environment champion launched his own NGO, to rehabilitate the degraded forests to make our tropical islands greener. The Terrestrial Restoration Action Society of Seychelles (TRASS) was born and today is the leading organization in the rehabilitation of degraded land, with the largest volunteer base. An achievement that the man is so proud of.
But, perhaps one of his proudest moment was the recognition for his lifetime contribution and dedication to the conservation of Seychelles through the naming of a newly discovered plant species. This plant carried his name, a name that is now engraved in the Seychelles flora and which is here to stay as part of his legacy. The plant is Ptisana Laboudalloniana (Pti Baton Monsennyer), named after his surname.