Nairobi Convention Engagement in the Seychelles

In executing its projects, the Nairobi Convention is collaborating with governments and other stakeholders to implement the following demonstration projects in Seychelles:  

Animal wastes from farms, when released into the natural environment, can pollute water and impact human health. However, when properly treated, this same danger can actually become a resource for farms, as this project intends to demonstrate. It will treat wastewater from a piggery in the south of Mahé, then recycle the treated effluent and use the solid matter for making compost. The costs involved with this operation will be identified and data on reuse of treated effluent for improving crop yield shared with small-scale farmers so that they may replicate these methods.

Proponents: Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Climate Change, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Seychelles Agricultural Agency, Public Health Authority, Public Health Laboratory, and partners.

Wetlands prevent floods, clean waters, protect shorelines and recharge aquifers. They also provide havens for a wide variety of flora and fauna and offer a unique habitat for many rare and endangered species. Nevertheless, 90% of lowland wetlands in the Seychelles have been lost, according to the project proponents. The objective of this project is to demonstrate how rehabilitating fragmented wetlands in Pasquière, Praslin Island can reduce the impacts from landbased stresses onto critical habitats downstream. It will achieve this goal by working with community-based organizations and local governments to enhance vegetation cover upstream, remove invasive plant species encroaching on the wetlands and replant native species to reduce soil erosion. Rehabilitation of wetlands will allow the community to once more benefit from their unique ecological services.

Proponents: Gaea Conservation Network Seychelles, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Seychelles, and partners. 

For more on the WIOSAP demonstration projects, click here.

In executing the SAPPHIRE project, the Nairobi Convention has initiated the updating of the Seychelles’ MEDA and the Transboundary Diagnosis Analyses (TDAs), developed under the ASCLME project. The MEDAs will provide each country with an updated assessment of their ecosystems within their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) and also provide them with a baseline document upon which they can base their National Action Plans (NAP) for the sustainable management of marine resources.  

Moreover, the scope of the MEDAs will be expanded to include assessments of land-based sources of pollution—i.e. issues addressed by SAPPHIRE’s sister project, WIOSAP –meaning that countries will have their first-ever “Ridge to Reef” assessment of their marine ecosystems. The findings will be fed into an expanded regional Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and prioritize areas of concern that can be addressed through a merged Strategic Action Programme (SAP).

Seychelles has already submitted its first MEDA draft for review. 

The world, including Seychelles, has committed to protecting at least 10% of its marine and coastal areas by 2020 under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.5. 

Under the WIOSAP project, the Nairobi Convention and WIOMSA have released the Western Indian Ocean Marine Protected Areas Outlook, the first-ever publication to examine the progress, challenges, and opportunities faced by states in the WIO, including Seychelles, as they strive to achieve SDG 14.5. 

Click here for Seychelles’ chapter and here for a dashboard outlining Seychelles’ progress towards achieving SDG 14.5.