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
Seychelles Steps Forward as Commonwealth Champion for Marine Protection
Efforts to protect the ocean have received a major boost with the announcement that Seychelles will lead a Commonwealth Blue Charter action group on marine protected areas.
Seychelles is the latest and 12th country to step forward as a Commonwealth Blue Charter Champion country. The announcement was made at the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.
Seychelles’ Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Charles Bastienne, spoke at a side-event on the Commonwealth Blue Charter. “Seychelles wishes to lead the group because of the great progress we have made at the national and regional level in the establishment and management of marine protected areas. The government of Seychelles believes that in order to compliment the adoption of the Blue Charter and also to achieve sustainable development, Seychelles – being a small island developing state – must play a pivotal role in preserving and protecting our seas and oceans at all costs”.
Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Group. Photo: The Commonwealth
On 21 November 2018, Seychelles Cabinet of Ministers approved the MSP Initiative to prepare the nomination file for Milestone 2 for the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan.
On 7 November 2018, Silhouette Cruises supported a NOAA RAMA project that collects meteorological data in the Indian Ocean. The M/V Tethys Supporter will aid in the deployment and recovery of two buoys placed in the Seychelles EEZ.
The meteorological buoys are part of the NOAA RAMA (Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction). This network of buoys collects meteorological data from the surface and below the water. The data is transmitted daily via satellite to a NOAA center. The data is used analyze and predict weather conditions, cyclones, can assist in warning of tsunamis, and for many other scientific purposes. The collected data is free and available for all interested organizations.
The data collected are freely available and may be displayed or downloaded by visiting the RAMA website:
The first MSPSocio-Economic Analysis is underway with economists and fisheries experts to better understand the value of the tuna fishery and how/if the MSP affects this economy in Seychelles. The tuna socio-economic assessment is being conducted at this time because the MSP zones are in deep water. The objectives are:
Estimate the value of the industrial tuna fishery for the Seychelles’ economy
Estimate the possible economic impact of the MSP Zone 1 – High biodiversity protection areas on the industrial fisheries in 2021 when the zones are implemented
Explore other socio-economic analyses to understand the sensitivity of the Seychelles’ economy to changes in the industrial tuna fishery and external economic factors.
The consultancy final report is anticipated by December 2018.
A Second Socio-Economic Analysis will be undertaken once the MSP zoning moves in to the shallow waters (<200 m depth) and Zone 1 areas are proposed. The second analysis will include domestic semi-industrial and artisanal fisheries as well as sport fishing (including marine charters) and tourism. New spatial data will be needed to do this analysis, currently not available, as well as data for ecosystem services so as to elaborate on the potential benefits of the MSP zoning and marine protections.
May 2016. Frozen yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) condenses the hot, humid Seychelles air as it is unloaded from the Dolomieu (La Reunion). Victoria, Mahé Island, Seychelles. Industrial commercial fishing is one of the primary industries driving the Seychelles’s economy. Photo credit: Jason Houston
May 2016. Mackrel fishermen fish along the shore with small boats and siene nets, trapping fish against the beach and hauling the catch up onto the sand. Nearshore artisianal and semi industrial fishing is an important part of Seychelles’s culture and economy. Photo credit: Jason Houston
Stakeholders will be contacted soon for a schedule of meetings in late September through early November for review of MSP draft outputs including a revised draft zoning design and activities tables based on input received Feb-Mar and May-Jun 2018.
Additional stakeholder meetings may be scheduled in September for review and input of draft deliverables related to MSP outputs and the marine spatial plan.
For more information please contact Ms. Helena Sims, MSP Project Manager.
Email: info@seymsp.com
