On Wednesday, September 23, the Seychelles Robotics team, along with their mentor Emma Cadeau and some of their parents, teamed up with Nature Seychelles for a hands-on wetland education session at the Sanctuary at Roche Caiman, swapping their mechanical tools for gardening gloves.
The team was gearing up for the First Global Challenge in Incheon, South Korea, an exciting Olympic-style robotics competition set to take place from October 7 to 10, where students from over 190 countries will come together. This year’s theme, “Igniting Innovation,” challenges teams to create robots aimed at wildfire prevention, mitigation, and recovery.
During their time at the Sanctuary, Team Seychelles participated in activities to connect the competition’s focus with local conservation efforts.
Fauna and flora identification scavenger hunt
The day kicked off with a lively nature scavenger hunt. Armed with identification guides developed under Nature Seychelles’ Wetlands of Hope project, the students explored the Sanctuary, identifying various plants and animals native to the wetland.
Next, they gathered at the Sanctuary’s seed bank with Nature Seychelles Project Manager Corinne Julie, who used their findings to spark an engaging discussion about the species. The students learned about the seven types of mangroves found in Seychelles, including the ones they would be working with that day.
With gardening gloves on, the group got to work, filling polypot bags with mud and potting 67 mangrove propagules and seeds. Corinne had collected red, white, Oriental, and yellow mangroves for this hands-on activity.
Potting Seedlings
For the team, getting their hands dirty turned out to be a delightful surprise.
“Instead of handling machinery, we were handling mud,” the team said. “We traded in our engineering hats to become sensational local environmentalists for the day.”
They described the activity as a chance to take a break from the intense pressure of competition and reconnect with nature. “All our robotics stress melted away into the fresh air as we reconnected with our inner child and unlocked our eco-warrior potential. Our guide and educator, Ms. Corinne, made learning so much fun.”
"Protecting and restoring destroyed natural habitats is just as crucial," they said
Mangroves are coastal superheroes. They provide shelter for countless species, protect our shorelines, store carbon, and filter water. Unfortunately, coastal development, deforestation, aquaculture, and pollution are taking a toll on these vital ecosystems worldwide. As mangroves vanish, so do their benefits and the rich biodiversity they support.
The connection to the team’s competition theme was clear to them. “While our primary focus is building a robot to solve problems around wildfire prevention, mitigation, and recovery, we know that protecting and restoring destroyed natural habitats is just as crucial,” they said. “It was a true honour to make our contribution towards leaving this world a little better than we found it.”
Nature Seychelles empowers young people with the knowledge and confidence to protect nature
“It was a joy to have such a young and enthusiastic team with us. Our educational mission is all about empowering young people with the knowledge and confidence to engage in nature protection. This collaborative day demonstrated that cutting-edge technology and grassroots environmental stewardship can go hand in hand,” Corinne concluded.
Nature Seychelles wishes the team all the best in Incheon. Be sure to follow their journey on Instagram at @teamseychellesfgc