The Seychelles MSP Initiative prepared two presentations for the Seychelles Ocean Science Symposium, held in November 2020. Dr. Joanna Smith, MSP Science and Process Lead, presented an overview of the MSP process and zoning outputs, and Ms. Helena Sims, MSP Project Manager, presented on the components being considered for the draft implementation plan.
Recordings for some of the presentations are available from the SeyCCAT website – click here
The Seychelles MSP, Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Energy, and the SWIOFish3 World Bank have started a project with The Nature Conservancy’s Mapping Ocean Wealth team to evaluate ecosystem services in the marine protection areas.
This project started in August 2020 and is scheduled to continue through June 2021.An inception workshop was held in September and presentations given remotely to Seychelles participants from the Mapping Ocean Wealth team.
Ecosystem services are the benefits natural ecosystems provide to people. That broad definition covers a vast array—from the tangible fish sold in a market or served in a family home, to the invisible influence of a seagrass meadow removing some of the world’s excess carbon dioxide, subtly shifting the chemical balance of both the water and the air above. A recent study on the ecosystem services from mangroves found that they are critical not only as nursery habitats for fish and invertebrates but for coastal communities also. Globally, there are 4.1 million fishers associated with mangrove ecosystems. For more information about marine ecosystem services, please see the Mapping Ocean Wealth website.
A blue water mangrove provides critical habitat for juvenile reef fish in Raja Ampat, Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean. Photo credit: © Ethan Daniels
Seychelles now has its own Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) policy that will provide a road map for marine planning and the guiding principles to inform the decision-making process for development and conservation.
Read the article here: Seychelles News Agency
The Seychelles MSP Policy is available here – download the PDF.
Seychelles archipelago. Photo by: Gerard Larose, Seychelles Tourism Board.
Seychelles SBC Morning Show ‘Topik Konversasyon lanmer sesel’
Interview with MACCE Principal Secretary Mr. Alain de Comarmond and SMSP Project Manager Ms. Helena Sims, 12 November 2020
Watch the interview here on YouTube: click here
An independent ocean authority is expected to be set up in Seychelles by 2025 to ensure proper monitoring and protection of the Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The proposed authority is being considered now that the island nation has reached its target of 30 percent ocean protection around some of its outer islands as part of the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan (SMSP).
Seychelles News Agency
Click here for full article
The 30 percent or 410,000 squares kilometres of the island nation’s 1.3 million squares kilometres EEZ will now be fully safeguarded to encourage sustainable development. (Michael Scholl)
Seychelles Conservation and Climate Change Trust (SeyCCAT) announces the launch of the 4th Blue Grants Fund call for proposals.
This year, SeyCCAT finances projects that fall under any of the three strategic objectives:
The specific types of project that SeyCCAT is financing this year can be found here.
Projects can be submitted that require either small/medium grants up to SCR 100,000, or large grants between SCR 100,000 and SCR 1,000,000. SeyCCAT anticipates dispersing approximately SCR 12.8 million through this fourth Blue Grants Fund announcement. Any locally registered NGO or CSO, businesses, parastatal organization, government agencies or departments, and citizens of Seychelles may submit a proposal, as long as they have legally existed and operated in the Seychelles for a minimum of one year. The deadline for concept notes for the fourth call is August 14, 2020.
Just launched on 27 July 2020, the Global Mangrove Watch is a monitoring and early warning tool for mangrove ecosystems health, protection, and degradation. Mangrove trees are equipped with impressive filtration systems that allow them to filter out or exclude salt altogether, despite their twice-daily inundation by saltwater due to changing tides. Perhaps their most notable feature, mangroves have complex root systems that extend above and below the water line. These roots allow mangroves to stabilize themselves and prevent erosion to the coastline, and also provide habitat, nurseries, and feeding grounds for a vast array of fish and other organisms.
Explore the Global Mangrove Hub here
A blue water mangrove provides critical habitat for juvenile reef fish in Raja Ampat, Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean. Photo credit: © Ethan Daniels
June 2020 Update for the Seychelles MSP – click here
Summary of media coverage for the Seychelles MSP Milestone 3 – click here
The overlook atop Aride Island Special Reserve is at the center of where millions of bird nest during nesting season. Photo credit: Jason Houston
Seychelles has legally designated 30 percent of its territorial waters as marine protected areas 10 years ahead of international targets, President Danny Faure said at the signing of legal document on Thursday. Faure said that with the signature and gazetting of the legal instruments “13 new areas will be declared as protected under the National Parks and Nature Conservancy Act, totalling an area of 410,000 square kilometres.”
Read full story here: Seychelles News Agency
Nature.org: Nature Conservancy
TNC Africa – Seychelles: Nature Conservancy
Milestone 3 outputs: click here for maps and documents
The signing of legal document by the Minister Gosgrow on Thursday. (Thomas Meriton) Photo License: CC-BY
The President of Seychelles, Danny Faure, and former President James Michel received the Planetary and Leadership Award on Wednesday at the National Geographic Awards ceremony at the George Washington University, in Washington D.C.
The Planetary and Leadership award recognises a world leader who has successfully established globally significant protected areas, such as national parks, wilderness areas, or marine reserves, that are fully shielded from exploitation. Faure dedicated the award to the people of Seychelles, State House said. He said that Seychellois citizens have a strong connection with nature and remain committed to successfully protecting and preserving the environment.
“With this award, the National Geographic Society is acknowledging the work we have done, and it is a powerful, emotional recognition of the longstanding vision of Seychelles and our journey so far, for me to be on this stage today,” he said.
President Danny Faure and former President James Michel received the Planetary and Leadership Award on Wednesday at the National Geographic Awards ceremony. (State House)