A report from Nature Seychelles’ International Volunteer Program

Volunteering with Nature Seychelles on Cousin Island Special Reserve has provided me the unique opportunity to get involved in the monitoring work of endangered species found on the island. Being able to ring a Magpie Robin chick is a special experience, unique to the Seychelles, and one that I will never forget.

At Nature Seychelles’ Heritage (organic) Garden we are constantly trying to innovate to get people to take charge of what Nature Seychelles’ Chief Executive, Dr Nirmal Jivan Shah calls their own “food system”. One of our main thrusts always has been promoting urban gardening and getting people even in apartments to grow herbs, spices and vegetables to improve their health and reduce their food budget and their carbon footprint.

Reef Conservation has been working with 85 primary schools to set up environmental corners. These consist of a small corner in a classroom with a mural, dry aquarium and posters, as well as an endemic garden outside. photo source: reefconservatiou.mu

Nature Seychelles and Reef Conservation (Mauritius) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will enable the two parties to work jointly in order to bolster the conservation work in the respective countries and in the region. The MoU which was signed on the 29th of September 2016 will assist in data sharing, exchange of knowledge and create projects that are mutually beneficial.

Tourists arriving on Cousin Island

Nature Seychelles and partners raise the bar

A momentous decision to improve global ecotourism standards was endorsed with overwhelming support at the 2016 IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) World Conservation Congress, held in Hawai’i in September. Proposed by Yale Tropical Resources Institute with 9 other organisations including Nature Seychelles , Motion 65 (now Resolution 60) “Improving standards in ecotourism” aims to redefine and tackle the challenges of ecotourism vis-à-vis conservation.