World Oceans Day 2021 – Saving Seychelles’ seas
Scattered off the east coast of Africa in the middle of the Indian Ocean are the Seychelles Islands guarding one of its most prized possessions – its ocean.
- The islands of Seychelles protects a marine area that is larger in size than the country of Germany.
- Seychelles has banned the use of plastic straws and bags as well as balloons.
- This island nation is keeping its ocean healthy with support from the local community, government, NGOs, and conservation groups.
Seychelles’ conservation commitment
Surrounded by turquoise waters and vibrant marine life, it is no wonder that the Seychelles Islands have vowed to keep their ocean from harm. In March 2020, the island nation’s government announced the extension of the protected marine area to 30% of its waters, an area larger than Germany.
The islands previously made headlines as it banned the use of plastic straws and bags in efforts to reach its goal of becoming a plastic-free nation with its most recent move being banning balloons, effective as of April 1, 2021.
It takes a village
The archipelago’s achievements would be nothing without the support from the local community, government, NGOs and other conservation groups.
Global Vision International (GVI) – runs volunteer and international education programs with two expedition bases in Seychelles, at Cap Ternay on Mahé, and Curieuse islands. Both are within National Marine Parks with GVI volunteers working on critical marine conservation projects and contribute towards various conservation-related surveys.
Nature Seychelles manages the Cousin Island Special Reserve, one of the oldest marine protected areas in Seychelles, and the reserve has since been transformed into a thriving sanctuary for several endemic species and an important site for hawksbill turtles.
Island Conservation Society (ICS) is responsible for the conservation management on Alphonse, Desroches, Farquhar and Silhouette, advising, managing environmental and conservation issues on outer islands under the lease of the Islands Development Company (IDC).
Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF) is a public trust established by the local government, which manages and protects two world heritage sites of Seychelles, namely, Aldabra and Vallée de Mai. Aldabra is the world’s largest raised coral atoll and a refuge for many endangered species requiring protection.
Sustainability for Seychelles (S4S) promotes sustainable living involving Seychellois, government and partners. The organization aims at combining the traditional Creole practices that were in harmony with nature and modern technological innovations that help makes lives easier without harming the environment.
The Ocean Project is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, established in response to the mounting threats affecting Seychelles oceans and seas. Their mission is to protect oceans and seas through education, action and research and with projects including beach clean-ups and campaigns encouraging the reduced use of plastic products.
Save Our Seas Foundation based in Switzerland, funds and supports research, conservation and education programs. The foundation has a biological field station based on D’Arros Island in the Amirantes Group, which conducts research on D’Arros Island and St Joseph and the waters around them. It also has a Marine Explorers Program for young people and a Youth Ocean Ambassadorship program developed to mentor future leaders in ocean conservation.
Global Impact Network – The Seychelles Islands officially became the first destination to create its online community page on the sustainability platform on World Environment Day 2021. Global Impact Network is an app that allows individuals and organizations to take action anywhere and for any ecologically oriented cause.
