In Seychelles, an innovative approach to marine protection
In February 2018 the Government of Seychelles announced the creation of two new areas for marine protection covering 16 per cent (210,000 square kilometres) of its ocean:
• 74,400 square kilometres of mostly deep and some inshore waters surrounding the Aldabra Group, an archipelago 1,100 kilometres west of Seychelles’ main islands where endangered marine species live and breed, or migrate through.
• 136,000 square kilometres of deep waters stretching between the Amirantes Group and Fortune Bank, a swathe of Seychelles’ central ocean that includes areas important for biodiversity conservation, tourism and fishing industries.
The MSP core team would like to take the opportunity to thank all the stakeholders for their continued participation and input into the MSP Process.
The Nature Conservancy shared a ‘Happy World Oceans Day’! with a “Thank You” from more than 2,200 people from around the world congratulating Seychelles to complete Phase 1 towards improving management of their ocean.
On Wed 21 Feb 2018, the Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change (MEECC), Mr Didier Dogley, announced the designation of the Phase 1 marine zones for the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan. The official event was held at The Savoy Hotel in Seychelles.
Two new areas – around the Aldabra Group and Amirantes to Fortune Bank – will by February next year be designated as new marine protections as as part of a six-year public process called the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan Initiative. Helena Sims – the project manager of the plan – told SNA last week that the decision is in support of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to improve marine protection worldwide. Read full story here.
For information on where to see the new marine protected areas’ nomination file at Ministry of Environment, Economy and Climate Change, please click here.
Stakeholders discuss ways to protect Seychelles’ ‘Blue Gold’
The importance of fisheries for the Blue economy of Seychelles and the challenges of regulating fisheries and stopping illegal fishing were the focus of a symposium held on Wednesday.These challenges were discussed across two panels with speakers from the Seychelles and from overseas. The event, held at the Guy Morel Institute at Ma Joie, was organised by the Sir James Mancham International Centre for Peace Studies and Diplomacy (JMPC) and the James Michel Blue Economy Research Institute (Beri) of the University of Seychelles. Read full article here
Seychelles News Agency 9 Dec 2017
Presentation during Illegal fishing symposium. Photo: Seychelles News Agency
Aldabra, Assumption put in high biodiversity areas for Seychelles’ marine plan
The Seychelles’ Marine Spatial Plan is an initiative that looks at the management of all the different uses of the island nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Areas around Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Assumption Atoll have been drafted as zone one areas — high marine biodiversity protection areas – under the Seychelles’ Marine Spatial Plan phase one presented on Friday. Discussions involving the management of the plan took place last Friday and looked at areas that will fall under zones one and two, and corresponding activities that will be allowed in each zone. Read full article here.
Seychelles News Agency 9 Oct 2017
The Seychelles’ Marine Spatial Plan is an initiative that looks at the management of all the different uses of the island nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone. (Gerard Larose, Seychelles Tourism Board)
Speaking at the High Level panel discussion on Maritime Security on the opening day of the leadership “Our Oceans Conference” in Malta this week, President Danny Faure delivered a poignant message to world leaders, entrepreneurs, civil society leaders, scientists and researchers on the importance of having resilient blue economies and to finding innovative and visionary solutions on how to conserve and sustainably use our Ocean, for the present and future generations.
President Faure emphasised that; “Maritime security is an extremely important component of the sustainable development of the ocean economy. One of the expected results of the blue economy strategy is greater protection for Seychelles’ ocean space and resources through better coordination across different sectors, application of protective measures and greater use of surveillance and enforcement tools. This is certainly a formidable challenge for a SIDS like Seychelles. But, because of our limited and competing resources, it is particularly important that we have a well-thought out maritime security strategy, and this is thus our commitment and we welcome any cooperation that may be extended to us in this regard.”
The 2017 edition “An Ocean for Life” aims to drive forward new collaborations in the following ocean areas– marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries, marine pollution, climate-change, and this year’s 2 extra themes, maritime security and sustainable blue economy. President Faure was invited to share the Seychelles experience on these themes and also provide an update on the previously registered commitments made in 2016. The commitments were on the issuance of the first Blue Bonds in support of sustainable fisheries, and the debt swap to develop a marine spatial plan of our EEZ and designate 30% as marine protected areas. Read full article here
The Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeCCAT) website is now live! Please click here to learn more about the Trust and the grants program.
“From small islands come big ideas,” President Danny Faure told world leaders in New York yesterday. He was referring to action Seychelles has been taking in recent years to find innovative ways to fund sustainable development through the 2030 Agenda and address climate change under the Paris Agreement.
THE Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 mostly tiny islands, whose collective area, at 460 sq km, is only about a third of London’s. But the country’s granite islands and coral atolls sit within an exclusive economic zone of 1.4m sq km. It is here, in the ocean, that conservationists are working on a new way for small countries to protect their marine environment. Read full article here
The Economist. 7 September 2017
Seychelles Debt-for-nature swap and marine planning. Photo: The Economist
