On Thursday 30th April, wetlands conservation got a serious tech upgrade. Nature Seychelles brought together conservation professionals from the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Energy, and Natural Resources (MECENR), resort partners, community members, and young environmental champions from the LEAP Junior club to test-drive a brand-new mobile app built for wetlands. No more soggy paper forms, lost notes, or guesswork in the field. This new tool puts wetland monitoring straight into people’s hands, on ordinary phones and tablets, turning students, communities, and practitioners into real-time nature detectives helping protect one of Seychelles’ most important ecosystems.
In his opening remarks, Nature Seychelles CEO Dr. Nirmal Shah said that this was the latest initiative from Nature Seychelles to bring conservation in Seychelles into the 21st century. “We’ve been diving into technology because we’re living in an era of artificial intelligence and all sorts of innovations, and we’re fully embracing it,” he stated.
Dr Nirmal Shah, Nature Seychelles' Chief Executive
Dr Jessica Nassica, Data Scientist who developed the app
Dr. Shah pointed out that this app is part of a growing suite of tech solutions developed under Nature Seychelles’ Smart Islands / Tech for Nature initiative, which includes everything from coral reef monitoring devices to turtle nest sensors and reserve management applications. He emphasized that each of these tools stems from a belief that well-designed technology can be a powerful partner in conservation efforts.
The wetlands project technical manager, Corinne Julie, shared that the app took six months to develop. Development was led by data scientist Dr. Jessica Nasica, who also created the App for Reserve Management (ARM) currently in use on Cousin Island.
“We based the app on a wealth of data collected from our assessments, including photos and drone images from various sites. We faced challenges in the field. So, we thought, why not create an app specifically for wetlands?” Corinne said.
Esthel Didon, who played a key role in the app’s development, shared what makes this tool stand out beyond its tech capabilities: “The EU-funded Wetlands of Hope project is all about enhancing climate adaptation and promoting co-management, supporting government efforts in wetland monitoring and management. This app is designed so that private sector wetland partners and school clubs can also gather data on wetlands,” she explained. The app caters to various user levels making it accessible to everyone.
Wetland practitioners from MECENR, Constance Ephelia Resort, the community, and LEAP Junior club
The day kicked off with Jessica leading a thorough walkthrough of the app’s features, followed by a hands-on field session at the nursery where participants gathered real data using their phones – a genuine beta test aimed at collecting honest feedback.
After the field activity, there was a feedback session. Participants loved the user-friendly interface, the species photo library for easy identification, and the bilingual support in English and Seychellois Creole. They pointed out some valuable suggestions for improvements.
CAMS staff field-testing the app
Mr. Jean-Claude Labrosse welcomed this new tool for data collection
The spirit of beta testing was truly alive. As Corinne put it: “The app isn’t fully available online or finished yet, which is why we’re calling this beta testing with you. We want to see how you’re interacting with the app. We’re eager to hear your thoughts on its usability, whether you find it user-friendly, if there are areas where you need more information, so we can take all this feedback and make some minor tweaks.”
With the beta testing wrapped up and participant feedback in hand, the team is now focused on making final adjustments before the full launch, which is set for later in May. The app has been funded by the EU through the Wetlands of Hope Project and SeyCCAT.