Dealing with Environmental Refugees

From: newsrag.com

"The Funafuti Atoll, part of the South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, pictured in 2004. Rising sea levels that could wipe whole nations off the map and displace scores of millions of people are being overlooked in global climate change talks, island countries including Tuvalu said Tuesday.(AFP/File/Torsten Blackwood)
MANADO, Indonesia (AFP) - Rising sea levels that could wipe whole nations off the map and displace scores of millions of people are being overlooked in global climate change talks, island countries said Tuesday.
Major emitters are pushing for greenhouse gas emissions cuts that are too low to prevent devastating sea rises, representatives said at the World Ocean Conference in Indonesia's Manado city.
"Dealing with environmental refugees will have a much more serious impact on the global economy and global security in fact than what wars have ever done to this planet," said Rolph Payet, a presidential adviser from the African island nation of the Seychelles...."

Source: yahoo.com

Changements climatiques: les petits Etats insulaires s'alarment

From: Romandie news

MANADO (Indonésie) - Les petits Etats insulaires, comme les Seychelles ou la Grenade, ont exhorté mardi les pays industrialisés à lutter plus efficacement contre le réchauffement climatique qui, en provoquant une montée du niveau des océans, menace leur existence et pourrait provoquer l'exode de millions d'habitants.

En marge de la Conférence mondiale sur les océans organisée cette semaine à Manado (Indonésie), l'Alliance des petits Etats insulaires a regretté d'être oubliée dans les négociations sur le changement climatique, quelques mois avant le sommet du climat de Copenhague en décembre.

Or "l'afflux de +réfugiés climatiques+ aura des conséquences bien plus importantes sur l'économie et la sécurité mondiale que les guerres", a estimé Rolph Payet, conseiller du président des Seychelles.

Ce petit Etat au large des côtes africaines fait partie, avec plusieurs autres îles du Pacifique ou de l'Océan Indien comme les Maldives, des pays les plus menacés par la montée du niveau de la mer dans les prochaines décennies.

Le Groupe Intergouvernemental d'experts sur l'évolution du climat (GIEC) a misé en 2007 sur une hausse de 59 cm au maximum du niveau de la mer d'ici 2100 en ne prenant en compte que l'expansion naturelle du volume des eaux océaniques due à leur réchauffement, sans intégrer la fonte des glaces de l'Antarctique et du Groenland. Un tel phénomène pourrait entraîner le "déplacement" d'ici 2050 de 150 millions de personnes des îles mais aussi des régions et villes situées sur les côtes ou dans les deltas, selon ses prévisions.

Certains experts estiment que la montée du niveau des mers pourrait être plus importante que ne le prévoit le GIEC.

L'Alliance des petits Etats insulaires réclame une réduction de 85% des émissions de gaz à effet de serre d'ici 2050, un chiffre supérieur aux engagements annoncés jusqu'à présent par les principaux pays émetteurs.

"Nous ne voulons pas que de nouvelles calamités affectent les pays de l'hémisphère sud", a résumé la représentante de l'île de Grenade, Dessima Williams.

La World Ocean Conference (WOC) de Manado réunit quelque 1.500 participants (représentants de 70 Etats, de l'ONU, des ONG et des médias) jusqu'à vendredi.

(©AFP / 12 mai 2009 12h30)

Experts reveal insects’ key role on planet

From Seychelles Nation- 04.05.2009
If the world’s insects were to disappear, all other life forms on the planet – including humans – would also die out.

This is one of the remarkable facts that was explained by experts meeting in Seychelles to discuss the vital role that insects play in the very existence of our planet.

At a six-day workshop hosted recently by the Island Conservation Society (ICS), they also gave information and training to members of environment and conservation organisations.

Delegates learned that though insects are often taken for granted and seen simply as pests, they play a major role in the world’s ecosystems, making decomposition and pollination happen.

Little is really known about insects in Seychelles, but the ICS aims to change this situation through the   seminar, which took place at the Exiles Club in Victoria.

It was opened by Dr Rolph Payet and led by Dr Jean-François Voisin, an insect specialist from France’s Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle.

Dr Voisin was helped by scientists Gaetan Galman, a PhD student on insects, and Dr Gérard Rocamora, a scientific director from the Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial.

The workshop was part of a four-year project to rehabilitate the ecosystems of Seychelles and restore rare or threatened species.

Presentations were given in English and French, but Creole was used for other activities and discussions. Guest speakers included Dr Payet, Dr Christopher Kaiser from Switzerland, Simon Julienne, Elvina Henriette-Payet and Will Dogley.

Topics included an introduction to terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates and their place in ecosystems; skills to identify the different groups; techniques to capture, monitor and preserve insects; other conservation aspects.

There were also practical sessions, when those taking part learned how to capture, count and transport insects, and observe them using microscopes. Excursions to sites such as Sans Soucis and Anonyme island were also arranged.
The workshop ended last Thursday with a presentation of certificates for those who took part.

University set to make Seychelles global partner

From Seychelles Nation - 21.04.2009
The launch of our own university will make Seychelles a partner in global education circles as unique knowledge from local research can be exchanged with other universities.

The president of the Canadian Bureau for International Education, James Fox, said this at State House yesterday after meeting President James Michel.

“Here you are in a unique environment in the middle of the Indian Ocean,” he said.
“You are part of a common world, and just as you need to learn about what happens to your ecology here, we in Canada are interested in what you learn. We have a common interest in understanding our environment better.”

Mr Fox worked as an educational adviser to Seychelles’ Ministry of Education from 1982 to 1986 when Mr Michel was the minister, so during their meeting the two talked about developments that have taken place since then, especially in the country’s education.

He said the new university will be an engine for ongoing development, research and knowledge generation.
“I’m here really to provide advice based on our knowledge from other universities in other countries,” he said.

Mr Fox talked of countries in which his bureau has helped to found universities that are now up and running, with many students.

He said Seychelles’ population is not too small to have a university. In his country there is an island province of just 100,000 people that has had its own university for over 100 years.
“That university has been the engine for its social and economic development because of the research it has undertaken,” he said.

“There are many communities of 85,000 that support a university. I know you have a very good polytechnic, but the university will offer more opportunities for more types of careers and connections to Seychellois internationally.

“You are very much part of the international community, and careers are going to be internationalised.”
The chairman of the Seychelles University Foundation, Dr Rolph Payet, said links with the Canadian bureau are important because, for example, Canada is bilingual and it is important for us to exchange information on that aspect since Seychelles is trilingual.

He said the bureau is also keen to develop an interest in maritime studies. As a university on an island, ours will be unique in its own ways, and this will generate interest in other universities that will form a partnership with the University of Seychelles.