News and Blogs

  1. Latest News
  2. Cousin Island News
  3. Blue Economy Seychelles
  4. Green Health Blog
  • Research: Roaming seabirds need ocean-wide protection, research shows

    Unlike other oceans, which are known to have specific “hotspots” where predators, including seabirds, gather in large numbers to feed, the Indian Ocean lacks such concentrated feeding areas, a recent paper has revealed. This lack of hotspots is particularly concerning given the various threats seabirds face due to human activities.[…]

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  • Saya de Malha leaves for its third dFAD clean-up expedition

    (Seychelles Nation) The Saya de Malha vessel of the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) left Port Victoria yesterday afternoon for its third drifting Fishing Aggregate Devices (dFAD) expedition clean-up exercise in Seychelles territorial waters and shores of the outer islands. As customary since the first expedition in October 2022, students from Seychelles[…]

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Coming Soon!

Coral Aquaculture Facility!

coral aquaculture web banner

We have started work on the Assisted Recovery of Corals (ARC) facility to revolutionise our coral reef restoration process Learn more

Find Us On ...

Implementing the SDGs

At Nature Seychelles we are committed to working with government, development partners and donors in implementing relevant actions, in particular, looking at certain goals where we can build on our existing strengths. Read more

Seychelles Wildlife

Natural environment of the Seychelles

Seychelles is a unique environment, which sustains a very special biodiversity. It is special for a number of different reasons. These are the oldest oceanic islands to be found anywhere...

Bird Watching

Seychelles is a paradise for birdwatchers, you can easily see the unique land birds, the important sea bird colonies, and the host of migrants and vagrants. Some sea bird...

Seychelles Black Parrot

Black Parrot or Kato Nwar in Creolee is brown-grey in colour, not truly black. Many bird experts treat it as a local form of a species found in Madagascar and...

Fairy Tern

The Fairy (or white) Tern is a beautiful bird seen on all islands in Seychelles, even islands like Mahe where they are killed by introduced rats, cats and Barn Owls....

Introduced Land Birds

A little over two hundred years ago, there were no humans living permanently in Seychelles. When settlement occurred, people naturally brought with them the animals and plants they needed to...

Native Birds

Although over 190 different species of bird have been seen on or around the central islands of Seychelles (and the number is increasing all the time), many of these are...

Migrant Shore Birds

Shallow seas and estuaries are very rich in invertebrate life. Many birds feed on the worms, crabs and shellfish in these habitats; often, they have long bills for probing sand...

Seychelles Magpie Robin

The most endangered of the endemic birds, Seychelles Magpie Robin or Pi Santez in Creole, came close to extinction in the late twentieth century; in 1970 there were only about...

Seychelles Blue Pigeon

The Seychelles Blue Pigeon or Pizon Olande in Creole, spends much of its life in the canopy of trees and eats the fruits of figs, bwa dir, ylang ylang and...

Seychelles White-eye

The Seychelles White-eye or Zwazo Linet in Creole, is rare and endemic. They may sometimes be seen in gardens and forest over 300m at La Misere, Cascade and a few...

Seychelles Black Paradise Flycatcher

The Seychelles Black Paradise Flycatcher or the Vev in Creole is endemic to Seychelles, you cannot find this bird anywhere else on earth. Although it was once widespread on...

Seychelles Sunbird

The tiny sunbird or Kolibri in Creole, is one of the few endemic species that has thrived since humans arrived in the Seychelles.

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Achievements

  • Stopped near extinctions of birds +

    Down-listing of the critically endangered Seychelles warbler from Critically Endangered to Near Threatened. Other Seychelles birds have also been saved including the Seychelles Magpie Robin, Seychelles Fody, and the Seychelles
  • Restored whole island ecosystems +

    We transformed Cousin Island from a coconut plantation to a thriving vibrant and diverse island ecosystem. Success achieved on Cousin was replicated on other islands with similar conservation activities.
  • Championed climate change solutions +

    Nature Seychelles has risen to the climate change challenge in our region in creative ways to adapt to the inevitable changing of times.
  • Education and Awareness +

    We have been at the forefront of environmental education, particularly with schools and Wildlife clubs
  • Sustainable Tourism +

    We manage the award-winning eco-tourism programme on Cousin Island started in 1970
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Good news for Environmental protection in Seychelles

The news last month that the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has been replenished to the tune of US$ 3.13 billion comes as a relief for environmentalists in Seychelles and elsewhere. Thirty two governments are providing the funds over the next four years.

As a medium to high developing country according to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI), Seychelles has found it increasingly difficult to find development assistance, grants or concessionary credit for some years now.

The GEF is the only international body that has consistently provided major grants to Seychelles. The GEF has funded 10 projects  for Seychelles since 1993 ranging from a full size one for Biodiversity Conservation and Marine Pollution Abatement to Medium Size projects and what is termed “Enabling Activities” which provide support to meet the requirements of international environment conventions.

The GEF has also approved 7 new regional and global projects in which Seychelles is involved. Seychelles currently has some projects pending with the GEF including a large one called Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Production Sectors which has now been approved this month for USD 3.7 million.

The GEF is a global mechanism consisting of 176 member countries. It deals with global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives. It supports projects in the areas of biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants. GEF projects are implemented through three “Implementing Agencies” UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank.

I have been fortunate in having been involved in writing and implementing several projects financed by the GEF. Between 1991 to 1992 I worked with World Bank and United Nations specialists to develop the Biodiversity Conservation and Marine Pollution Abatement project. The GEF disbursed 1.8 million US Dollars for this project.

In 1997, a National Biodiversity Assessment and a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan were developed under a GEF funded project. I had the privilege of being the co-ordinator of this project.

The GEF has also made available funds for civil society. Nature Seychelles received a Medium Size Project grant amounting to 742,000 US Dollars in 1998. I wrote this project to restore ecosystems, as well as another one for Marine Ecosystem Management for the Government and the NGO, MCSS. The GEF is also supporting a project for the management of privately run high-biodiversity islands in Seychelles, a partnership between Cousine and Cousin islands.

The GEF is a unique funding body which has provided real benefits to Seychelles. However, there is huge competition from all around the world to access GEF financing. Novel partnerships between the Government, NGO and private sectors are clearly one way forward if we want to gain more support for our efforts.

Nirmal Shah, The People, 13/9/2006

Partners & Awards

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Our History

Since 1998.

Seychelles Nature, Green HealthClimate Change, Biodiversity Conservation & Sustainability Organisation

@CousinIsland Manager

Facebook: http://goo.gl/Q9lXM

Roche Caiman, Mahe

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We accept donations. Your support and generosity help us continue with our work in nature conservation in Seychelles. Email nature@seychelles.netdonate

Contact Us

Centre for Environment & Education

Roche Caiman,

P.O. Box 1310, Mahe, Seychelles

Tel:+ 248 2519090

Email: nature@seychelles.net