John Collie passed away at the Ayrshire Hospice, Ayr, Scotland at 11:10 am on December 30th 2009. John, a popular and well known personality in Seychelles was active in conservation for many years.

Where to next for coral reefs? Can a view of the future of corals be predicted by science? What about fisheries - with world fisheries increasing, is there enough fish to keep us going? What are the effects of overfishing and how does climate change affect fisheries and fish ecosystems? How do Tuna and Seabirds respond to global warming? What can looking at the ocean from above tell us about preservation of ecological resources? These were only a few of the questions being asked and answered by 470 experts of 26 nationalities who attended the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) sixth scientific symposium in Saint Denis, Réunion Island in late August.

The Sousouri Bannan or Seychelles Sheath-tailed Bat is possibly the rarest bat in the world. It is also an endemic of Seychelles, which means that the estimated 70 individuals that exist in the world are only found in Seychelles. Although historically it was found on four granitic islands - Mahe, Silhoutte, Praslin and La Digue - it is now believed to occur only on Mahe (around 40 individuals in three roosts) and Silhouette (32 individuals in one roost).

As the world readies itself for critical climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December this year, environmental campaigns have also gone into high gear. All want to force action during what is being called the most important event in human history. In our region, acutely vulnerable to climate change, strong political statements have come out.