Seychelles Nation - 31.05.2008
More than US $20 million has been pledged to conservation in small island states, said Dr Rolph Payet, special adviser to President James Michel, on his return from an international conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr Payet said he was delighted with the success of the third High Level Event organised by the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA), at which he was representing Mr Michel.
The event was held under the umbrella of the conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which approved GLISPA as one of the implementation mechanisms of the island biodiversity programme of work.
This is especially significant, said Dr Payet, as that decision needed the approval of all parties to the convention – more than 100 countries plus the European Union.
The island partnership also received pledges of financial support for its international coordination office, which is to be set up in Gland, Switzerland, from the governments of Italy and the United States, the Nature Conservancy and the World Conservation Union.
A number of other countries and organisations made significant announcements of support for the work of GLISPA.
Also at the event the government of the Bahamas in the Caribbean made a historic commitment to protect 10% of its marine resources by 2012. This was echoed by Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica and St Vincent and the Grenadines. They will all work together to protect nearly three million hectares of marine habitat in the Caribbean over the next four years.
Dr Payet said the work of GLISPA will now turn towards the Indian Ocean in an effort to mobilise further resources for conservation in the region.
