Seychelles

Status: In-depth

An in-depth law and policy analysis that assessed the potential application of Marine Conservation Agreements (MCAs) in the Seychelles was undertaken in 2010 as part of a comparative analysis of countries bordering the Western Indian Ocean. The complete report with all references can be downloaded from the resource box on the right.

Quick Peek — MCA Implementation: The policy framework of the Seychelles permits a variety of management and resource use rights. Two NGO owned marine reserves appear to satisfy the definition of a Marine Conservation Agreement. Read more below >>

Overview

The Seychelles archipelago has an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 1.3 million km2 but just 453km2 of land.1 Marine biodiversity is the country's most important natural resource but it is not as studied nor protected as its terrestrial counterpart, and the country's MPA network, outlined in the table below, only covers 0.5% of its territorial waters.2

Marine Protected Areas in Seychelles
Site	IUCN Category	Size (km2 )	Date established	Governance type
Aldabra	Ia	142	1981	Government
Aldabra Atoll	--	142	1982	Government
Aride Island	Ia	0.7	1973	NGO
Ste. Anne	II	9.96	1973	Government
Port Launay	II	1.54	1979	Government
Cousin Island	Ia	0.01	1975	NGO
Curieuse	II	12.84	1979	Government
Baie Ternay	II	0.86	1979	Government
African Banks	Ib	8.27	1987	Government
Ile Cocos, Ile La Fouche, Ilot Platte	--	1.65	1997	Government
Silhouette	II	16.55	1987	Government

Legal and Policy Framework

Article 38 of the Seychelles Constitution declares that it is the right of every person to live in and enjoy a healthy, clean ecologically balanced environment. This right is enacted primarily through the Environment Protection Act (EPA) 1994, the country's framework environmental legislation.3 Fifteen separate acts can be used to designate MPAs, the most important of which are the National Parks and Nature Conservancy Act (CAP 141), the Fisheries Act (CAP 82) and the Protected Area Act (CAP 185).4,5 The table below summarizes pertinent laws and policies.6

Key policy and legislation relating to marine and coastal protection in Seychelles
Policy or Law	Relevance
Policies and Frameworks
Environmental Management Plan of Seychelles (EMPS) 2000-2010.	Overarching national environmental strategy aiming to protect the environment through coherent and inclusive planning
The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 1997	Plan to meet the targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (Appendix 1) including conservation of marine resources
The National Land Use Plan 1993	Guide to land use decision making covering the three main islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue only.
Legislation
The Environment Protection Act (EPA) 1994	The framework environmental legislation for the country
National Parks and Nature Conservancy Act (CAP 141)	Establishes protected areas
The Fisheries Act (CAP 82)	Establishes protected areas, fisheries management measures, licensing procedures and fines for breaches of regulations
Protected Area Act (CAP 185)	Establishes protected areas
Town and Country Planning Act 1972	Sets out requirement for planning permission for all forms of terrestrial development and prevents buildings being erected within 25 meters of the high water mark

Owners and Managers

Marine Protected Areas are managed by the parastatal SCMRT-MPA, the Seychelles Centre for Marine Research & Technology — Marine Parks Authority.7,3Two Special Reserves, Cousin Island and Aride Island, are managed by NGOs and several others have substantial private sector input, especially Baie Ternay.8,9

MCA Implementation and Examples

The legal and policy framework of the Seychelles permits a variety of management and resource use rights. The two NGO owned marine reserves of Aride and Cousin Island appear to satisfy the definition of a Marine Conservation Agreement. Due to a dearth of available information on Aride, only Cousin Island will be explored in more detail.

Cousin Island

Cousin Island was purchased in 1968 by the International Council for the Protection of Birds (ICBP), now BirdLife International, to save the threatened Seychelles warbler.10,11 In 1975, the Government of Seychelles gave it Special Reserve status and extended protection to 400m offshore all around the island.8 Today, the reserve is managed by the NGO Nature Seychelles and is funded entirely through tourist revenues, which are sufficient to run the reserve and fund local education and conservation initiatives. Total economic benefits to the local economy from Cousin are estimated to exceed USD600,000 annually.12

There is one further suspected MCA at Baie Ternay, where Emirates Hotels and Resorts are constructing a luxury spa resort.9 However, sufficient information was not available to confirm this.

The Future

Overall, it is clear from the examples above that MCAs can be and are being implemented in the Seychelles and that Nature Seychelles would be a key implementation partner in any expansion of the strategy. One possible constraint is the shortage of land available for development. Inappropriate and inefficient land use has occurred throughout the archipelago, causing erosion, deforestation, and pollution, especially in coastal regions. It may therefore be prudent to encourage the legalization and extension the National Land Use Plan, which would largely overcome these constraints.

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