The Nature Conservancy’s Mapping Ocean Wealth team has completed a more than one year project to evaluate ecosystem services in the context of Seychelles marine protection areas. This project was led and supported by the Ministry Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment (MACCE) and the World Bank SWIOFish3 programme.

The purpose of this study was to quantify the ecosystem goods and services provided by Seychelles Protected Area System. All maps and data are available from the Mapping Ocean Wealth in Seychelles Online Map Viewer and Data Catalog.

The Final Report will be posted soon!

Key findings from this study include the following:

• In Seychelles, approximately 90% (1,149 km) of shorelines benefit from protection by fringing coral reefs, with 77% (889 km) of these shorelines located in or adjacent to protected areas. Most of the latter, however, are far from human habitation and of the 44,280 people who live in low-lying (<30m) coastal areas only about 18% receive risk reduction from reefs that fall within protected areas.
• Every protected area in Seychelles contains blue carbon from either seagrass, mangroves, or both, with the total sum of blue carbon found in protected areas estimated to be 156.7 million metric tons (Mt). The numbers are dominated by the contribution of seagrasses most notably from the Mahé Plateau.
• Within Seychelles, we estimate that coral reefs are generating US$51.5 million annually from on-reef activities such as snorkeling and diving and that these activities generate the equivalent of 30,156 visitors to the Seychelles.
• Natural values of the beaches in Seychelles are estimated to be generating a combined total of US$160 million of tourism expenditure annually with 94,000 visitors who are attracted specifically to the natural aspects of Seychelles’ beaches.

The Nature Conservancy – Mapping Ocean Wealth

The Seychelles MSP Initiative and the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) are featured in the new MSPglobal International Guide on MSP.

MSPglobal International Guide on Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning

The MSPglobal International Guide is the result of a joint initiative by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO and European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) to support the development and implementation of MSP processes worldwide.

The purpose is to assist governments, partners and MSP practitioners globally in the development of marine spatial plans, and to capture the evolution and lessons learned globally on MSP since the first guide was published in 2009 by IOC-UNESCO. A guiding principle in developing the guide was to showcase inspiring examples of MSP for users to consider and reflect upon, which they might apply in their own context according to the resources they have available.

Download the Guide here

The August 2021 update for the Seychelles MSP Initiative is now available.

To download the PDF document –  click here

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). Led by MACCE and supported by TNC, SeyCCAT, and Pew, the MSP is assisting with data for seagrass, mangroves and coral reefs. Seychelles’ updated NDCs were submitted in July 2021 and include a commitment to apply nature-based solutions comprising mangrove and seagrass protections. See this link to Seychelle’s updated NDCs.

The seagrass Thalassodendron ciliatum formed dense meadows at Cosmoledo Atoll, Seychelles.

UNDP’s Climate Promise Initiative to Sustain the Review of Seychelles’ Nationally Determined Contributions

A validation meeting for the review of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the Republic of Seychelles was held on 13 May 2021 ahead of COP 26. This online event held in the presence of members of the Government of Seychelles, academia, project donors, and other national stakeholders, was facilitated by the UNDP under the Climate Promise Initiative, which supports climate action in 118 countries worldwide.

Regarded as a net carbon sink, Seychelles remains extremely vulnerable to Climate Change and needs to uphold its best practice towards sustainability. The Seychelles Government considers Ocean Conservation as a key priority in addressing the climate crisis and has committed to adjusting its ambitions in a realistic way, through a blue NDC with emphasis on Blue Carbon and nature-based solutions. Adaptation and mitigation measures in sectors such as tourism, health, energy, transportation, and waste management have been also considered to enhance the country’s NDCs and curb its Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

The Minister of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment of the Republic of Seychelles, H.E. Flavien Joubert said that Seychelles is thriving to ensure that “the revised and updated NDCs are actionable and achievable by developing a detailed implementation monitoring plan and financing strategies aligning to our long-term efforts.” Observing that positive trends have emerged towards net-zero within SIDS, the minister declared that the NDCs review will be “another important milestone that will demonstrate Seychelles’ commitment to climate action and willingness to work with the global community.”

Seychelles’ partners in the NDC review process

UNDP Resident Representative for Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms. Amanda Serumaga, congratulated Seychelles for reviewing its mitigation targets from 188 to 275 kilotons of Carbon Dioxide. Mentioning the Climate Promise Initiative, Ms. Serumaga stated that the UNDP has contributed to bringing together nations and partners towards crucial climate action to build a zero-carbon, sustainable and inclusive world. Ms. Serumaga also declared that: “the UNDP remains committed to supporting the Government’s national ambitions towards climate action and ensuring that Seychelles continues to champion the way ahead for the Small Island States and the region alike.”

In an overview of the Paris Agreement, Mr. Andrew Jean Louis, lead coordinator of the NDC Partnership, presented the supporting partners of the Government of Seychelles for the review of the NDCs. In addition to the UNDP, Seychelles can count on the support of the World Bank, the European Union, IRENA, Stantec, GIZ, the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SEYCATT), The Nature Conservancy, Deltares, the University of Seychelles, and the PEW Charitable Trusts. Mr. Jean Louis also recalled that Seychelles ratified the Paris Agreement in 2015 with a realistic approach concerning the review of NDCs.

For the full story, please click here.

Photo credit: (c) UNDP