The Green Islands Foundation - Seychelles

MFF Artisanal Shark Fishery Project Enters Final Stages

2011-02-12T03:59:00.000-08:00

The third week of December 2010 saw representatives of the Mangroves For the Future initiative (MFF) visit Seychelles to assess progress of the national projects under their purview. On the 17th of December GIF made a presentation on the Artisanal Shark Fishery Project to the MFF representatives and then later that day met with them to go over the project budget and disbursement to date. After that the MFF reps had the opportunity to meet with some of the Artisanal Shark Fishermen (ASF) based at Anse Etoile on Mahe. The MFF personnel expressed their satisfaction with the project implementation to date.

The 3rd of February saw another major landmark in the project namely the first Annual General Meeting of the Artisanal Shark Fishers’ Association (ASFA) - the development and registration of which was enabled by this project. GIF facilitated the meeting and representatives of the Seychelles Fishing Authority, MFF and the National Media were also in attendance. The AGM went well and succeeded in making the Association operational through its: endorsement of the Articles of Association, election of a Board of Directors, elaboration of a priority action plan and establishment of a Management Committee to oversee day-to-day activities.

The meeting also provided the opportunity for the handover of equipment purchased under the project. The equipment in question (three digital cameras and water-proof housings, measuring tapes and waterproof notebooks) is to enable the fishers to gather data on their catch. The format for data gathering has also been developed under this project. Lack of data on coastal shark populations in Seychelles is one of the key obstacles to informed management of the fishery and ASFA has identified the collection of data as one of its priority activities.

So the operationalisation of ASFA - one of the key objectives of the GIF project – has been attained and should enable the Fishers to fulfil their role under the Seychelles National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks.
A couple of other activities remain to be completed namely the production of educational posters on coastal sharks and the artisanal shark fishery in Seychelles respectively and the formulation and submission of the terminal report to MFF. Check back for further updates in the coming weeks (Contributed by John Nevill).

GIF assists in establishment of Artisanal Shark Fishers Association

2011-01-07T03:41:00.000-08:00

GIF’s founding mandate is to mainstream sustainable development, in particular by forming partnerships with the private sector. In Seychelles the primary economic sectors with environmental impact are tourism, fisheries and production landscapes and so these have formed the focus of much of GIF’s work to date.

Previous posts on this blog (see posts of 21 & 29 June and July 18 & 31 2009) have described the GIF/MFF project with Seychelles artisanal shark fisherman to build their capacity to better manage their fishery and fulfil their roles under the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA). This project is now coming to an end and one of the key outcomes was attained at the beginning of December namely the establishment and legal registration of a new Association under the Registrar of Associations Act.

The “Artisanal Shark Fishers’ Association” (ASFA) or “Lasosyasyon Peser Reken” received its certificate of registration and hence became a legal entity on the 1st December 2010. The Articles of Association include, amongst other things, the Mission Statement and Objectives of the association and these are reproduced below:

Mission Statement:
“To secure a sustainable artisanal shark fishery and the livelihoods of its practitioners”.

Objectives:
• To promote and protect the artisanal shark fishery and the rights of the fishers therein.
• To promote sound development practices which foster a sustainable artisanal shark fishery and an improved standard of living for fishers.
• Represent shark fishers’ concerns and interests, and protect their rights in appropriate committees and fora.
• Seek to develop new markets and outlets for artisanal shark fishery produce.
• Add value to artisanal shark fishery produce and activities through innovation and capacity building.
• Promote optimal usage of sharks caught.
• To generate, raise or access funds and develop strategic partnerships to advance the objectives above.

The Association will be holding its first AGM early in the New Year where the full articles will be endorsed (and if necessary amended) by members and the Board of Directors for the first two year cycle elected. GIF will continue to supply some basic secretarial support to ASFA in its formative stages until such time as the association has sufficient capacity to operate independently.

The formation of ASFA is a fundamental step in empowering artisanal shark fishers to: protect their rights and livelihoods in a changing legislative and management environment and better manage the fishery for a sustainable future. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours (Contributed by John Nevill).

Green Islands Foundation launches new logo

2010-11-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Green Islands Foundation is a Seychelles registered NGO dedicated to the mainstreaming of sustainable development. Established on 11th April 2006, GIF aims to establish equilibrium and potential synergies of development and environment at the core of its operations and seeks, as its main activity, to bridge the gap between the private sector and national environmental programmes. It also functions as coordinator for environmental initiatives on and relating to Denis Island as well as initiating coastal zone management projects on Grand-Anse Praslin and North Island.

The logo designed by Mr. Aubrey Adeline depicts GIF’s modus operandi: mainstreaming sustainable development, which can be in all aspects, from life itself in the form of a green leaf captured in the logo, to island management as well as to the marine (blue colour) and terrestrial ecosystems (green colour).

For more information on the projects and activities of GIF, feel free to check out its blogs on the following addresses: www.greenislandsfoundation.blogspot.com or www.denisisland.blogspot.com

What have GIF been up to?

2010-10-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since you’ve last read a post on our blog- rest assured that we have been putting ideas together while finalizing various contracts and project documents. Now, we can spare few minutes to provide a brief of our adventures!

GIF have now finalized and signed contracts for two projects- the large project under the MFF initiative entitled “Coastal development and ecosystem Modelling as a tool to enable improved local and national policy decision-making processes” is a joint submission by both GIF and Marine Conservation Society of Seychelles (MCSS) and a small grant as part of the GEF SGP programme for a project entitled “Increasing public awareness and educating the local communities in understanding the behavioural ecology of sharks in order to reduce conflicts between fishermen and dive operators in Seychelles.”(See photos in side bar)

MFF Large project: This project was ranked the highest among all regional submissions and is the only one for the Seychelles. Dr. David Rowat from MCSS signed the contract on behalf of both organizations. This is a 24month project, involving various partners (government and private) and will develop a baseline, parameters and technical tools to provide a platform for enhanced coastal zone management. Four sites (Denis and North Islands, Beau Vallon and Intendance) representative of the diversity of coastal development scenarios in Seychelles have been selected for the implementation of pilot projects. Each site will be surveyed and assessed for the environmental services they provide and the biodiversity assemblages and economic activities they support. These baselines will be used to develop environmental parameters and technical tools to inform planning and development decision-making processes in particular the scoping, undertaking and assessment of EIAs. The projects will also be used to develop public information packs on coastal development and management to promote and empower the involvement of local communities in the decision-making process. The project’s objective is to strengthen the technical and scientific basis of, and empower local community involvement in, coastal management decision making-processes.

SGP: Working with local communities forms an integral part of GIF’s list of activities and these communities are of various age groups and field of expertise. GIF’s project will assist in the successful implementation of some of the work programmes of the national plan of action for the conservation and management of sharks (Shark NPOA).

This proposal which will be targeting the conservation of biodiversity will tie in well with GIF’s main goal of mainstreaming sustainable development. Shark meat is a major food and income sources for various local and global communities. On the local scale, sharks as an apex predator have crucial roles in the food web as well as on the ecosystem. It is also an excellent protein source for locals since the first human settlement. However, sharks have been fished for decades and with increased long-line fisheries and improved technology, have led to its declining population. There is the crucial need to sustainably manage the existing stock and educate the local communities with high reliance on this resource, not only for conservation purposes but also to ensure that the sharks’ ecological roles are maintained. Nevertheless, there are a lot of unknowns about the sharks, especially in terms of the population structure and phylogeny. There is also increased conflicts between the fishers and the diving industry due to the high shark fishing activity occurring on sites with large numbers of sharks This proposal aims to increase the local ecological knowledge of the local communities from all walks of life (researchers, fishermen, and other biodiversity users) on the importance of understanding the biological aspects of key species that are crucial to their livelihoods, on the socio-economic and ecological levels. Once this has been identified, with increased public awareness, local communities can better manage this resource which is vital to their livelihood and at the same time, further enhance biodiversity conservation for future generations.

Gathering Artisanal Shark Fishery Catch Data

2010-07-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

The current information on the nature of the artisanal shark catch is highly deficient. Some information is gathered on an ad-hoc basis at the main fish market in Victoria – but by this stage the vast majority of sharks have been dressed – i.e. head, tail and fins removed – leaving just a trunk which is often limiting to correct species identification. Monitoring at the landing grounds is also difficult as the time when the boats return to each of their respective stations, varies with weather, workload and location of fishing activity. Furthermore the fishers will often dress the shark while at sea as it: serves to prevent spoiling of the meat, provides for more space and reduces the load in the small boats as they return to shore.

Good catch information is the best means for understanding the status and spatiotemporal distribution of the various species of shark that go to make the shark stocks on the Mahe plateau. Only with such data can informed and adaptive management decisions be made for the benefit of the sustainability of the stocks and the artisanal fishers who depend on them.

So what is required is a simple and pragmatic method of gathering useful data on the catch by the fishermen themselves. Furthermore, this information gathered by the fishers and derived from a catch gained by the application of their own skill, knowledge and effort is in effect their information/property and should be managed and utilised accordingly.

This project therefore seeks to develop a data gathering method that fits in with the practicalities of the fishers’ demanding work and yet still provides useful information. To realize this objective there are several factors to be considered. Central to this is to ensure the standardisation of information collected. The nomenclature for sharks in Seychelles Creole is complicated: the name for some species of shark varies from one region to the next – the bull shark for example has 4 commonly used Creole names. Likewise several species can be grouped together under one name by local fishermen who do not distinguish between physically similar sharks – this is the case for the shark known locally as “nene pwent” which in fact covers at least 4 species. Research undertaken in 2005 served to clarify somewhat this diversity of terminology but further verification is required. To enable this, the project is developing in tandem with the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) a shark identification key which brings together all the known Creole names for the sharks, this will be tested and no doubt corrected over time by the fishermen themselves. In addition a simple shark data sheet will be developed that can be transferred to waterproof note books and enable the ready recording of data. Information required will be restricted to the date, species and simple size classification for each specimen.

Finally it is proposed, under the GIF/MFF project to purchase 3 digital cameras with waterproof dive casings to enable the fishermen to photograph any unusual sharks or specimens they are unsure of the identity of. They can then dress the shark and its species identity can still be investigated from the images captured.

The first draft of a data sheet has been developed in consultation with Mr. Vincent Lucas of SFA and will next be discussed with the fishers to get their feedback on the practicality of the format proposed. This is a key first step in empowering the fishers to take charge of their own data collection and thereby fulfill one of their key obligations under the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (Contributed by John Nevill).

Artisanal Shark Fishermen

2010-07-18T04:25:00.000-07:00

In the Seychelles context Artisanal Shark Fishermen (ASF) are loosely defined as artisanal fishermen who actively target shark and generate approximately 30% or more of their annual income from that fishery.

The use of shark nets was banned in 1998 (Prohibition of net fishing of sharks Reg. 16c 1st August 1998) due to concern regarding by-catch of turtles, marine mammals and non-target whale sharks. Following this the method known locally as “drag” – an anchored long line up to 400 metres in length with anything from 40-120 baited hooks on drop lines – has been developed and utilised in the fishery.

The ASF operate out of small open boats with outboard engines and their range is in general restricted to within 15 miles of their home anchorage. Each boat is typically able to set up to four drag per trip. The fishermen utilise their specialised knowledge of the Seychelles plateau, often passed down within family units, and set their lines in the evening to drift over prime areas and catch the shark as they mobilize in the evening and night time. The lines are retrieved in early morning. The method is largely non-selective, though variations in depth of hook, bait and habitat fished can be utilised to target certain species.

The fishery is typified by the diverse and full use of shark products for the local market. Fresh shark meat is sold each day at the fish market, the meat is also salted and sundried for sale. The especially thick skin of the head of the shark and for some species the entire skin is often flayed and salted for separate sale as a local delicacy “lapo latet reken”. The stomachs are likewise sometimes salted for use, whilst the teeth, spines and jaws of some species are used to make jewelry or for sale as trophies. The fins are of course cut and dried for export to the Asian market.

What is important to note is that this constitutes a wise use of the resource – landing and using the whole animal – as opposed to the wasteful and unsustainable practice of simply fining sharks and discarding the carcass at sea. Furthermore this fishery supplies an important source of cheap, quality protein to the local population. The economic difficulties that Seychelles has passed through over the last 2 years have underlined its importance as local demand for shark meat has increased considerably due to its value-for-money pricing relative to many other fish species.

The GIF project is still in the process of identifying all the ASF on the three main islands and attempting to bring them together so that they can cooperate to better manage their fishery and also properly defend their rights to their traditional livelihood. The site visit to Praslin early this month (2nd to 4th July) was successful with 5 ASF identified there and interviewed. The next step is to bring the ASF together so that they can identify and discuss their common concerns and deliberate on how they can best cooperate.

It is important that all ASF are identified because the National Plan of Action for sharks will seek at some point to license the fishery and close it to newcomers as part of the process of improving management of shark stocks on the plateau – a complete listing is therefore required to protect the rights of these fishers to accessing their means of livelihood(Contributed By John Nevill).

Integrated coastal zone management workshop on Grand Anse Praslin

2010-07-16T04:30:00.000-07:00

The coastal zone project on the other pilot site obtained national media attention for various reasons. First and foremost, it brought Praslin into the limelight, showcasing a national focus of an active local community taking the necessary steps to assist in conserving what they have now, not only for their benefits but also for those yet to come. Furthermore, this is a novel project in the Seychelles and hence deserved a wider audience.

To our surprise which turned out to be a good one, we had quite a good stakeholder turnout, which surpassed my expectation. It was a good chance for us to learn how we can assist a dynamic community where coastal zone issues are primordial to their livelihoods The main aim of the workshop was to increase awareness of the stakeholders to the project, identify & prioritize the coastal issues on the Grand Anse-Amitie coast of Praslin and seek preliminary feedback on potential solutions, propose/approve key indicators identified to establish the necessary baselines and establish a steering committee for the Praslin site.

Please click on the link below to read the full Nation’s article: www.nation.sc/index.php/index.php?art=19699

To view the media coverage for the workshop, click on either links below:

You tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohhWrr50sPY

Daily motion: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe1cki_iczm-workshop-on-grand-anse-praslin_tech -

Managing Marine Coastal Resources – the GIF/MFF ASF Project.

2010-06-29T04:48:00.000-07:00

The granitic Seychelles are situated on the Mahe Plateau an enormous bank of some 12,000 square miles in the western Indian Ocean. The Mahe Plateau is shallow, on average around 50 metres in depth, and abounds with life. At the “drop-off”, where the shelf falls away rapidly into the abyss, cool “upwellings” of nutrient rich water spawn chains of life from algal blooms, through krill to tuna, sword fish, sharks and whales. The shallow waters of the plateau are dotted with patch reefs whilst larger fringing reefs occur around the islands.

The Mahe plateau is central to Seychelles development and economy. It has since first settlement of the islands, in 1770, provided the population with high quality, affordable protein and the artisanal fishery continues to be a major contributor to the local economy and export balance. The health of the coastal ecosystem is therefore central to the socioeconomic stability and sustainable development of the country.

The early explorers and first settlers of the Seychelles archipelago recorded abundant fishery resources around the islands and along the “drop –off” – in particular they noted the great abundance and variety of sharks that teamed in the waters. This was prime evidence of a very rich and productive ecosystem. Sadly the shark stocks of the Mahe plateau have been greatly reduced with the first major declines being driven by a schooner-based targeted shark fishery in the 1940s – 1960s. Shark catch as a percentage of the overall artisanal catch has fallen by an order of magnitude over the last 80 years (Nevill, J. 2005).

Species regularly caught by fishers however, indicate that the plateau still supports a good diversity of species for at least part of their respective lifecycles and hence good management regimes have the potential to increase future populations and catches.

Sharks however, are more significant than merely a source of protein, as they play a key ecosystem role. All heterotrophs by definition rely on other living organisms for food. Feeding/predator-prey relationships provide the framework for ecosystem structure and function. If all the lions, leopards and cheetah were removed from the Serengeti one could expect a significant cascading effect on the ecosystem and possibly a phase-shift to another stable equilibrium. Although the dynamics of marine ecosystems are less well understood – the same principles can be applied and indeed fishing down of predators is considered the driving force behind the collapse in Caribbean coral reef ecosystems and the decline in Alaskan Kelp forests.
Now clearly it is more complex than that as food-web relationships work in both directions, top-down and bottom-up but nevertheless managing the coastal shark fishery such that viable shark populations are retained to fulfill their ecological role is an important factor in maintaining a healthy, diverse and productive coastal ecosystem that provides environmental services and supports other artisanal fishery activities.

As mentioned in the previous post, below, the Government of Seychelles published, in 2007, its National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA) (Nevill, J. 2007) thereby addressing its commitment under the FAO International Plan of Action.

One of the key limiting factors restricting effective management of the shark fishery is a lack of information on the catch and in particular its species content by the various fisheries. The GIF-MFF project seeks to help address this information shortfall by providing the tools and developing the capacity for artisanal shark fishermen (ASF)to start collecting their own fishery data.

The project is now under way with preliminary meetings with ASF on Mahe initiated and ongoing and the first field trip to the Seychelles second island of Praslin scheduled for the coming weekend.

Updates will be posted periodically so please do check back for news on the project’s progress… (Contributed by John Nevill).

Refs:
Nevill, J. (2005). Establishing a baseline for Shark fishery management in the Seychelles. MSc in Coastal Management. University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Nevill, J. (2007). Seychelles National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks. Seychelles Fishing Authority.

MFF and GIF Supporting Sustainable Coastal Management and Livelihoods

2010-06-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

The Mangroves For the Future initiative (MFF) was established as a means to assist countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, as the programme has developed it has evolved into an ocean wide approach to coastal zone management seeking to promote investment in coastal ecosystem conservation as a basis for sustainable development.

The Green Islands Foundation has received support from the MFF small grants facility for a project entitled “Capacity Building in Artisanal Shark Fishermen.” The project seeks to assist artisanal shark fishermen to fulfill their obligations under Seychelles’ National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA) as well as enabling them to properly represent and defend their concerns and livelihoods on the NPOA Steering Committee.

The Seychelles Government launched the NPOA in 2007 and was only the tenth country globally to undertake such an initiative. The long term vision of the NPOA is:

“That Shark Stocks in the Seychelles EEZ are Effectively Conserved and Managed so as to Enable their Optimal Long-term Sustainable Use.”

Its shorter term mission is two-pronged:

• “to establish the necessary capacity, systems and databases to enable the informed adaptive management of shark stocks in Seychelles, and
• to implement an active and progressive precautionary approach to the management of targeted and non-targeted shark fishing effort that takes into account the transitional needs of stakeholders.”

Recent research indicates a significant decline in shark populations on the Mahe plateau since the 1930s. Shark populations play an important role in a healthy and balanced ecosystem in the same way that large terrestrial predators are important to natural ecosystems on land. The presence of healthy and diverse shark populations in coastal waters indicates a healthy and diverse ecosystem. Sharks help to control the populations and impacts of meso-consumers which in turn allows for healthy populations of fish stocks important to broader fishery activities.

The Seychelles NPOA identifies Artisanal Shark Fishermen (ASF) as a primary stakeholder in the context of shark populations along with dive companies and the locally licensed semi-industrial long line fleet. It recognizes that the effective participation and buy-in of these groups is essential its success. The NPOA however, also notes that one of the obstacles to its successful implementation is the limited capacity of artisanal shark fishermen to fulfil their obligations as set out in the various work programmes and also to properly represent their concerns on the NPOA steering Committee. This project is therefore designed to address these concerns and in so doing support the implementation of the NPOA as an important national strategic document.
The project sets out 3 categories of activity:

1). Is to bring together as many ASF as possible from the three main islands to identify and discuss their common concerns and utilise this as a basis for them to work together to effectively represent their concerns on the National Steering Committee.

2). Is to develop an efficient and effective means for the fishermen themselves to gather and manage data on their shark catch. This involves standardising all the local names for species, which often vary with locality, so that there is a common understanding of the species caught. Enabling the fishermen to gather and manage their own data is a key step in empowering them to effectively negotiate on the steering committee and to play their critical role in managing the stocks so vital to their own livelihoods.

3). Is the communications programme which will produce media (such as this post) and educational materials about the importance of healthy shark stocks to the broader marine ecosystem and also raise awareness of the sound methods and resource usage practiced in the artisanal fishery where typically the whole shark from its meat, fins, teeth, skin and even some of its entrails are put to productive use.

This project is another sustainable development initiative, where GIF – in line with its articles of association - seeks to work with the private sector to build sustainable livelihoods and maintain the ecosystems that support them for the benefit of all. GIF now has initiatives ongoing on four islands with more projects in the final stages of negotiation.

This post serves merely as introduction to this MFF/GIF project with the artisanal shark fishery. As its various activities are undertaken more posts will be put up providing details of progress and the challenges faced… so please do check back periodically. (Contributed by John Nevill).

Private Islands Pioneer National Conservation Advances

2009-05-24T23:08:00.000-07:00

The Green Islands Foundation (GIF) is committed to the mainstreaming of sustainable development. In the context of Seychelles, our chosen focus is on the key economic activities of Tourism, Fisheries and production landscapes. GIF has a sustainable development programme ongoing on the island of Denis (see http://denisisland.blogspot.com/ for more information) and is also keen to promote and facilitate similar initiatives on other islands. GIF has been working with three islands on the development of a common approach to maintaining their island’s rodent free and has just had an article published in the national press highlighting the importance of these islands and their rat-free status to national environmental initiatives.

Simply click on the image below to enlarge and read the article from today’s (25th May) Nation Newspaper.

Sustainable Development

2009-02-04T02:17:00.000-08:00

The Green Islands Foundation (GIF) was registered in April 2006 with the objective of bridging the gap between private sector operations and national environmental initiatives as a means of mainstreaming sustainable development.

The most widely recognised definition of sustainable development originates from the Brundtland Report[1]:

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts:
· the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
· the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs."

Despite this definition being generally recognised it does of course leave considerable leeway for interpretation (and some might say abuse). The ongoing work under the Rio Conventions and the UNCED/WSSD process continue to refine and attempt to realise different aspects of sustainability – but still many would argue that sustainability as per the above definition is impossible to obtain, or at least that “the goalposts” - as it were - are continually moving.

Sustainable development is conceptualised as being built on three pillars relating to economic development, human welfare and environmental management – and the finding of a balance between these three perceived necessities.

The current global and Seychelles’ national economic crisis therefore puts the pursuit of sustainable development at risk due to the likely skewing of priorities towards the economic to the detriment of sound environmental management. Plus of course struggling families will typically look more to the environment as a direct source of revenue and sustenance placing greater pressure on natural resources.

GIF looks to promote the mainstreaming of sustainable development in the Seychelles’ context by working with private sector operations in the country’s main economic sectors i.e. tourism, fisheries and production landscapes. GIF is working with Denis Island on a five-year programme in the pursuit of sustainable development (for more information go to: http://denisisland.blogspot.com ). The approach taken in this work is one of a process of improvement: assessing standards, setting targets to improve upon the status quo and moving forward... always looking to lessen environmental impact whilst fostering human well-being and options for diversified development. So to misquote that horrible business-speak cliché “it’s more about the journey than the destination”.

I hope very soon to be able to post on a new initiative that GIF is seeking to undertake in the domain of fisheries in the granitic islands – so do check back.

[1] World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). Our common future. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.

The Green Islands Foundation - an introduction...

2009-01-19T08:34:00.000-08:00

GIF represents a new type initiative in the Seychelles' NGO sector. Its primary role is to assist in the mainstreaming of sustainable development. To achieve this GIF aims to form partnerships with the private sector to investigate and refine sustainable development practices. These practices will seek to provide diverse commercial opportunities and socio-economic benefits, whilst respecting the needs and tolerances of environmental systems.

Terrestrial and coastal resources in Seychelles are limited and under considerable development pressure. It is vital that their management is optimised to enable sustainable development by incorporating sound environmental practices into standard operational procedures of commercial interests. The commercial sectors of Seychelles represent a key capacity resource that must be harnessed if the objectives of the Environmental Management Plan for Seychelles (EMPS 2000-2010) are to be realised and the cause of sustainability advanced.

GIF represents a departure from the traditional NGO approach of conserving biodiversity by excluding areas and resources from development activity but rather seeks to manage biodiversity by harmonising development with it.

GIF will look initially at tourism operations, production landscapes and targeted fishery activities and seek to apply and refine development models so as to enable the advancement of national environmental priorities.

The broad mandate of its Mission and its partnership-based private sector modus operandi, position GIF as a sustainable development NGO that:
· Represents a key new capacity resource that brings diverse skills and experience to bear.
· Seeks to fully incorporate the private sector into the national environmental management programme.
· Offers scope to leverage new and additional resources for environmental management.
· Has broad potential to contribute to the implementation of the EMPS 2000-2010 and related sustainable development initiatives.

The GIF Mission Statement is:

“To Promote the Mainstreaming of Sustainable Development”

Objectives:

a) To develop, implement, foster and promote management models that harmonise development with the needs and tolerances of environmental systems.
b) To promote sound development practices.
c) To harness revenue from economic sectors to further environmental goals.
d) To manage the environment so as to enhance the scope of and options for sustainable development.
e) To integrate biodiversity concerns into land and sea use regimes.
f) To further the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity (at all three levels, ecosystem, species and genetic).
g) To raise/access funds and develop strategic partnerships to advance the objectives above.