Experts met in Seychelles to discuss ecosystem-based adaption. This effort is to contribute to climate change strategies.
Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is often referred to as the ‘natural solution to climate change’. This approach recognises that healthy, intact, diverse and well-managed ecosystems provide abundant ecosystem services enabling people and societies to adapt to current climate variability and long-term change.
Jude Bijoux – a Seychellois marine biologist – said Seychelles, a group 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, is in the process of drafting a Seychelles Climate Change Policy to provide the general framework for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
“For now, the Seychelles National Climate Change Strategy of 2009 remains the main national document addressing climate change adaptation. The EbA approach is firmly rooted in this strategy through one of its supporting principles, which states that ecosystem-based adaptation needs to be further developed to decrease Seychelles’ vulnerability to climate change’,” said Bijoux.
The Seychelles MSP core team has published information about the development of ecosystem services to support MSP in a peer-review journal called Frontiers of Marine Science. Published online in an Open Access format, the manuscript was an invited contribution to a special issue of Frontiers in Marine Science for a symposium organised at the Fourth International Marine Conservation Congress in St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada in 2016.
Frontiers in Marine Science publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research that advances our understanding of all aspects of the environment, biology, ecosystem functioning and human interactions with the oceans.
The third, and final, milestone of the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan is being launched in March and April 2019. Meetings with MSP committees, stakeholders and public information workshops are scheduled and dates posted on the Events pages.
Inception Milestone 3 Meetings and Workshops:
Executive Committee Meeting
Inception Workshop Milestone 3 – Steering Committee and Technical Working Groups
Technical Working Group Meeting
Public Workshop – Mahé
Public Workshop – Praslin
1:1 consultations and bilateral meetings
Steering Committee Meeting
Executive Committee Meeting
More information will be posted soon so please check back for more information!
International Year of the Reef. Photo: The Ocean Agency
The Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate change will be undertaking a series of Public consultation and review process of the Nature Reserves and Conservancy Bill which is being proposed for the replacement of the existing National Parks and Nature Conservancy Act. This process of consultation will allow the public as well as any interested/ affected parties to review this piece of legislation as well as to provide any final inputs on the Bill
Members of the public are invited to two Public meetings to discuss this new bill and its provisions:
For Mahe – Sat 2 Feb 2019 at 2pm at the STC conference room, Latanier Street.
For Praslin & La Digue – Sat 9 Feb at 10am at the Grand Anse Administration Office, Praslin
In addition to the Public meetings, public can get access to the document for review HERE These will be available as from Wed 30January until Thu 28February 2019. For any further information please contact the Ministry on 4670500 or 4670530 or 4670502. Please see also the MEECC website – click here
The Notice of Intention was published in Seychelles on 29 January 2019 to re-designate the areas that were gazetted in Phase 1. For more information on where to submit written comments, please see the Nomination File on this website – click here!
SeyCCAT and Nekton are pleased to announce a special partnership and a Request for Research Proposals. Our partnership provides a mechanism to fund Seychellois researchers to conduct innovative deep-sea research in Seychelles. The closing date for Deep Blue Grants is 18 January 2019. To learn more and to apply, please visit the SeyCCAT website, click here. For more info about Nekton, please visit www.nektonmission.org
