Biodiversity Conservation in the Seychelles : A path to Sustainable development Denis Matatiken- Jeju -July 6 th 2015

Seychelles  115 coral and granitic islands  455 km sq. and EEZ of 1.3 million square km  SIDS=Large Ocean State  Young nation with est. population 91,000  Economy:-Tourism & Fisheries  Middle income  Unique Biodiversity

high endemism in terrestrial habitats (e.g Amphibians 100%, 67% Mollusca, 65% Coleoptera) Species of African and indo- Malayan origin-geological history Gigantism in plants and animals (e.g Coco de mer, Giant Land tortoises) Dwarfism (e.g sooglosid frogs) Government is committed to environment protection Seychelles Biodiversity Biggest Heaviest SmallestRarest

 The Constitution of the Seychelles makes reference in the preamble on the need to ‘…participate in the sustainable economic and social development of our society.’ Furthermore, Section 38 (Right to safe environment), Part (b) of the Constitution also states the intention ‘…to ensure a sustainable socio-economic development of Seychelles by a judicious use and management of the resources of Seychelles  The need to protect food security and ecosystem services (e.g. food, water, coastal protection) and also protect the livelihood  Sustain the Economy of the Seychelles Biodiversity Conservation

 Seychelles has a good PA network -50% of its land territory are legally protected- 2 WHS  <1% of the marine Environment is protected but plans to increase marine environment to 30% (MSP)  Protected area management is guided by the PA Policy which take into account the conservation, sustainable use and also provision for equitable sharing of benefits Tools to Biodiversity Conservation

 Government has a comprehensive regulatory and policy framework  The Seychelles Sustainable Development Strategy (SSDS) incorporates national priorities for sustainable development and lays out a roadmap for the implementation of those priorities  3 rd generation of the EMPS  10 thematic areas for sustainable development with three cross cutting issues  It provides a framework for biodiversity conservation (National and local scales) Seychelles Sustainable Development Strategy

 SSDS makes provision to also protect species that are found outside the PA network.  LUP is an important tool used to guide local land use and development  Completed for the three most populated island where increasing pressure of land resources  LUP use to strike the balance for the land resources for investment and residential development and the protection of key biodiversity areas, important habitats and sensitive zones Managing Land for Biodiversity conservation : Land Use planning

 < 1% of EEZ is protected and yet it has one of the highest catches of tuna and potential for offshore petroleum reservoirs and government plan to increase that area by 30%  Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) initiative provide a practical, transparent way to create and establish a more sustainable use of the marine space and the interactions between its uses; to balance demands for development with the need to protect the environment; and to achieve social and economic objectives in an open and planned way.  All major sectors -fishing, tourism, conservation and petroleum development are participating in the process  More information:- Managing the EEZ (Blue Economy): Marine Spatial Planning

 Apart from the threats (e.g. climate change) and also challenges (e.g financial resources), IUU (Illegal, Unreported and unregulated fisheries) and maritime security is also another affecting the fisheries sector (PIRACY)  Seychelles Regional Anti-Piracy Prosecution and Intelligence Coordination Centre (RAPPICC) is fully operational in the Seychelles  Stronger collaborations with the Europeans and other nations (E.g India- donation of boats, search plane and a good radar system) Challenge in managing the space

 SSDS identify the needs to maintain sustainability practices in hospitality industry  SSTL was created with the vision that every hotel integrates sustainability practices in their business operations  Such sustainable practices have shown to reduce operational cost  E.g Constance Ephilia and Lemuria Resort  Use of solar energy (photovoltaic cells and solar water heater –save over 200,000 l of diesel fuel  Water conservation measures- 40,000,000 l of water Seychelles Tourism Sustainable Label

 Engage fisherman groups to help with the management of coastal resources (e.g Rabbit Fish)  IOTC to manage tuna stocks  Sustainable fisheries management plans (e.g red snappers-quotas, size, number of fish traps ect)  Number of licenses regulated for targeted species – e.g lobsters, holothurians- open and close season  Policy to add value to by catch (e.g. tuna industries) – package and exports Conservation and management of species

 A platform where Government works closer with NGOs, CBOs and Private Sector  These stakeholders ‘champion’ biodiversity conservation with the support of Government  Assist with environment education  Contribute to the financing of biodiversity conservation Engage stakeholders in biodiversity conservation

Cousin Island Reef Rescuers Project [NOTE: WE USE A BETTER MAP Control sites: Degraded & Healthy Example: coral reefs restoration by the NGO sector

 Successfully restored degraded habitats  Remove alien invasive species and introduced endemic birds  Fund conservation programme through their CSR Habitat restoration and animal translocation (Private Hotels)

Threats to biodiversity Coral Bleaching COTS Spread of invasive Species Coastal erosion Forest fire Natural disasters

 The environment is a life support system. ‘We have inherited it from our ancestors and borrow it from the future generation’. Therefore we need to Protect it (President of Palau, 2015) H.E James Alix Michel and H.E Tommy Remengesau, 2015

Thank you