Protected Area Project

Strengthening Seychelles’ Protected Area System through NGO Management Modalities (PA Project)

GIF forms part of a large Protected Area Project, a UNDP supported project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This project includes many other organisations in Seychelles such as The Ministry of Environment and Energy, SIF, SFA, SNPA, MLUH, Nature Seychelles, MCSS and others.

The Protected Area project started in 2011 to create synergies between current Government conservation efforts and those of non-government partners in the establishment of new protected areas, and also to improve the management of existing terrestrial and marine protected areas.  The main outcomes of this project are:

For Marine Protected Areas:
•    designing a more representative system of marine protected areas that builds resilience against environmental variations associated with global climate change
•    facilitating the establishment of new or expanded marine protected areas and conservation zones that will more effectively safeguard habitats associated with fish spawning aggregations (e.g. rabbit fish, whale sharks, groupers) and coral reef ecosystems
•    strengthening the operational capacity of NGOs, artisanal fishermen and the private sector to establish and manage marine protected areas and marine conservation zones in a collaborative partnership with the SNPA and SFA
•    improving the policy, legislative and institutional framework for collaborative management between state and non-state partners in MPA management

 For Terrestrial Protected Areas:
•    designing a representative, adequate and comprehensive system of terrestrial protected areas
•    facilitating the establishment of new protected areas on privately-owned and state-owned islands under different co-management arrangements and using a range of different sustainable financing strategies
•    testing the feasibility of establishing and enforcing seasonal conservation areas for nesting turtle habitats
•    strengthening the operational capacity of NGOs, parastatals and the private sector to establish and manage terrestrial protected areas and
•    improving the policy, legislative and institutional framework for collaborative management between state and non-state partners in terrestrial protected area management.

What is GIF’s part in this?

GIF’s part of this project is to investigate if Denis and North Island qualify for protected area status while at the same time expanding the area of native habitats on each island. To do this, GIF are doing a number of specific projects aimed at getting this information such as;

·         Marine surveys and mapping on Denis and North Islands

·         Habitat mapping and rehabilitation on Denis and North Islands

·         Coastal restoration and reinforcement on Denis Island

·         Improving invasive alien species prevention measures on Denis and North Islands

·         Environment management plan development on Denis and North Islands

·         Mynah Bird eradication on Denis and North Islands

·         Wetland surveys and restoration on North Island

·         Endemic bird monitoring on Denis and North Islands

·         Sooty Tern breeding colony reestablishment on Denis Island

These individual activities will hopefully result in a proclamation package for proposal of Denis and North Island and/or important surrounding marine areas as part of the national protected area network.

More information on these projects will be given in more detail in future Blogs.