Seychelles Nation: - 31.12.2009
The year of the climate change campaign
2009 could be called the year of the climate change campaign, in the lead-up to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December.
During the year, President James Michel increased his efforts to make the world aware of the vulnerability of small island states to climate change.
In January at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, he said the world has failed to understand the limits of the planet, and he also made a link between climate change and food security at the World Food Summit.
At the Copenhagen summit at the end of the year, the President emphasised the need for developed countries to shoulder their responsibility to stop climate change. His special adviser, Dr Rolph Payet, took the message as far as the Arctic Circle during a United Nations meeting there.
On the ground, inroads are being made in rising to the challenge of global warming. A welcome step was made with the signing of an agreement between the government and Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy organisation, to examine the feasibility of wind power in Seychelles.
The programme to make Cousin Island Special Reserve the first carbon-neutral island in the world attracted the attention of CNN and other regional and global media, and this 40-year-old nature reserve also earned the description “one of the world’s great conservation success stories”.
Several non-governmental organisations such as the Red Cross, the Scouts, Wildlife Clubs and Sustainability for Seychelles organised awareness campaigns to educate various sectors of society on the impacts of climate change.
The Earth Hour, an international event to draw attention to global warming, was introduced to the public by Nature Seychelles and the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation.
Government restructuring has led to new institutions and new opportunities – for example the Seychelles Agricultural Agency was set up to give a new direction to agricultural development in the country.
Soon after that, it started to create links with the environment by signing a memorandum of understanding with Nature Seychelles and launching the Heritage Gardens at Roche Caïman, for example.
The Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA) was set up incorporating the Centre for Marine Research and Technology/Marine Parks Authority (CMRT/MPA), and is now the agency responsible for land parks, including the Vev Reserve, and for marine parks.
Several major research projects have been started, for example by the Marine Conservation Society of Seychelles on sharks and by the Seychelles Islands Foundation in the Vallée de Mai, during which a new population of Seychelles endemic Sooglossus frogs was discovered.
Studies on the coral reefs around Curieuse were conducted as part of the coral and coastal ecology project that the SNPA has with the Earthwatch institute.
The Seychelles Bureau of Standards announced the approval of several new environmental research projects by overseas researchers.
Biodiversity conservation projects continued to deliver excellent results. The Island Conservation Society conducted courses on island ecology for local stakeholders and launched a workshop on island restoration.
The international project carried out by the UK organisation DICE and Nature Seychelles with Denis Island’s management to rescue Seychelles’ most endangered bird, the paradise flycatcher (vev), had its first success with the breeding of introduced birds on the island.
Some exciting new funding opportunities for environmental projects have been introduced into the country this year, especially for NGOs.
The Regional Programme for Sustainable Management of the Coastal Zones of the Indian Ocean Countries provided two types of grants to NGOs, ones working on coastal zone management and another for those in marine protected areas.
The Mangroves for the Future project, managed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provided several small grants, again mostly to NGOs working on activities in the coastal zones.
Meanwhile, ongoing large projects funded by the Global Environment Facility and carried out by the UNDP and the government continued to support consultancy studies to help in managing land use, mainstreaming biodiversity in productive sectors and other key areas.
The environment’s link to tourism has been strengthened. The Seychelles Islands Foundation’s new visitor centre at the Vallée de Mai Unesco World Heritage Site was opened by Mr Michel, the SIF’s patron.
It houses an education and information centre to engage visitors, promote conservation and diversify SIF revenue.
Aldabra atoll was designated as a Ramsar Wetland Site of International Importance in recognition of its outstanding value for conservation.
The call for responsible tourism was launched by Nature Seychelles and the Seychelles Tourism Board in the presence of Vice-President Joseph Belmont and national partners.
The year 2009 was one of celebrations as well. In June, the CMRT/MPA (now the SNPA) celebrated the 30th anniversary of three of its marine protected areas – Cap Ternay, Port Launay and Curieuse.
Various activities were organised over a month, including an open day on Curieuse where the renovated Doctor’s House was reopened by Minister Joel Morgan.
The Department of Environment announced that in partnership with the Ramsar Convention secretariat, the international launch of Wetlands Day 2010 will be in Seychelles, with a week of activities to be held.
Several Seychellois environmentalists received honours. Dr Payet was cited by the UN for his work on climate change policy, and Ronnie Renaud, chief executive of the national parks authority, became the first Seychellois to become a WIO-PRO – the professional certification given to marine protected area managers by WIO-COMPASS, the only programme that provides such certification in the world.
And Nirmal Shah, the chief executive of Nature Seychelles, was elected for a three-year term as president of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association, becoming the first citizen of an island state to be elected to lead this important organisation.
