MENR receives royal invite

Seychelles Nation - 28.05.2005 (www.nation.sc ) 

Environment and Natural Resources Minister Ronny Jumeau and Environment Principal Secretary Rolph Payet leave Seychelles on Saturday to take part in a scientific meeting on global warning organised by the King of Sweden.

Both Minister Jumeau and Mr Payet received personal invitations from King Carl XVI Gustaf to deliver separate presentations to his Seventh Royal Colloquium in Sweden from May 30 to June 1, 2005.

The Royal Colloquia are a series of international environmental symposiums of a select – no more than 25 – number of political, scientific and academic personalities which are held regularly by the King. They deal with environmental issues of significance to the well being of ecosystems and the lives of the millions of people all over the world who depend on them.

This year’s Royal Colloquia will look at the melting of the polar ice by global warning under the theme: “Artic under Stress: A Thawing Tundra.”

Minister Jumeau’s presentation, entitled “Arctic Stress – Tropics in Distress,” will look at the effect the melting of the Arctic has on small island developing states. Mr Payet will address the colloquium on Biodiversity at the Frontline: Links between the Artic and tropical biodiversity.

“Mr Payet and I have been invited to drive home the message that the melting of the polar ice is of serious concern to not only the countries  and peoples of the Artic, but to all mankind as far as us here in Seychelles,” said Minister Jumeau.

“It will, for example, accelerate sea level rise and thus the flooding and submergence of even small islands in the tropics,” he said.

The minister described the invitations from the King of Sweden as “a rare honour” for Seychelles as it will be the only developing and small island state represented among the 20 participants.
The colloquia are usually held in the King’s palace, but will this year take place on board an icebreaker as it travels down the Gulf of Bothnia from Sweden’s northernmost port of Lulea to Stockholm.

Most of the other participants come from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States, all of which form part of the Arctic region.

Participants come from science academies and scientific institutes and publications, universities, environmental foundations and governments.