The granitic Seychelles are situated on the Mahe Plateau an enormous bank of some 12,000 square miles in the western Indian Ocean. The Mahe Plateau is shallow, on average around 50 metres in depth, and abounds with life. At the “drop-off”, where the shelf falls away rapidly into the abyss, cool “upwellings” of nutrient rich water spawn chains of life from algal blooms, through krill to tuna, sword fish, sharks and whales. The shallow waters of the plateau are dotted with patch reefs whilst larger fringing reefs occur around the islands.

The Mahe plateau is central to Seychelles development and economy. It has since first settlement of the islands, in 1770, provided the population with high quality, affordable protein and the artisanal fishery continues to be a major contributor to the local economy and export balance. The health of the coastal ecosystem is therefore central to the socioeconomic stability and sustainable development of the country.

The early explorers and first settlers of the Seychelles archipelago recorded abundant fishery resources around the islands and along the “drop –off” – in particular they noted the great abundance and variety of sharks that teamed in the waters. This was prime evidence of a very rich and productive ecosystem. Sadly the shark stocks of the Mahe plateau have been greatly reduced with the first major declines being driven by a schooner-based targeted shark fishery in the 1940s – 1960s. Shark catch as a percentage of the overall artisanal catch has fallen by an order of magnitude over the last 80 years (Nevill, J. 2005).

Species regularly caught by fishers however, indicate that the plateau still supports a good diversity of species for at least part of their respective lifecycles and hence good management regimes have the potential to increase future populations and catches.

Sharks however, are more significant than merely a source of protein, as they play a key ecosystem role. All heterotrophs by definition rely on other living organisms for food. Feeding/predator-prey relationships provide the framework for ecosystem structure and function. If all the lions, leopards and cheetah were removed from the Serengeti one could expect a significant cascading effect on the ecosystem and possibly a phase-shift to another stable equilibrium. Although the dynamics of marine ecosystems are less well understood – the same principles can be applied and indeed fishing down of predators is considered the driving force behind the collapse in Caribbean coral reef ecosystems and the decline in Alaskan Kelp forests.
Now clearly it is more complex than that as food-web relationships work in both directions, top-down and bottom-up but nevertheless managing the coastal shark fishery such that viable shark populations are retained to fulfill their ecological role is an important factor in maintaining a healthy, diverse and productive coastal ecosystem that provides environmental services and supports other artisanal fishery activities.

As mentioned in the previous post, below, the Government of Seychelles published, in 2007, its National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA) (Nevill, J. 2007) thereby addressing its commitment under the FAO International Plan of Action.

One of the key limiting factors restricting effective management of the shark fishery is a lack of information on the catch and in particular its species content by the various fisheries. The GIF-MFF project seeks to help address this information shortfall by providing the tools and developing the capacity for artisanal shark fishermen (ASF)to start collecting their own fishery data.

The project is now under way with preliminary meetings with ASF on Mahe initiated and ongoing and the first field trip to the Seychelles second island of Praslin scheduled for the coming weekend.

Updates will be posted periodically so please do check back for news on the project’s progress… (Contributed by John Nevill).

Refs:
Nevill, J. (2005). Establishing a baseline for Shark fishery management in the Seychelles. MSc in Coastal Management. University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Nevill, J. (2007). Seychelles National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks. Seychelles Fishing Authority.

The Mangroves For the Future initiative (MFF) was established as a means to assist countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, as the programme has developed it has evolved into an ocean wide approach to coastal zone management seeking to promote investment in coastal ecosystem conservation as a basis for sustainable development.

The Green Islands Foundation has received support from the MFF small grants facility for a project entitled “Capacity Building in Artisanal Shark Fishermen.” The project seeks to assist artisanal shark fishermen to fulfill their obligations under Seychelles’ National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA) as well as enabling them to properly represent and defend their concerns and livelihoods on the NPOA Steering Committee.

The Seychelles Government launched the NPOA in 2007 and was only the tenth country globally to undertake such an initiative. The long term vision of the NPOA is:

“That Shark Stocks in the Seychelles EEZ are Effectively Conserved and Managed so as to Enable their Optimal Long-term Sustainable Use.”

Its shorter term mission is two-pronged:

• “to establish the necessary capacity, systems and databases to enable the informed adaptive management of shark stocks in Seychelles, and
• to implement an active and progressive precautionary approach to the management of targeted and non-targeted shark fishing effort that takes into account the transitional needs of stakeholders.”

Recent research indicates a significant decline in shark populations on the Mahe plateau since the 1930s. Shark populations play an important role in a healthy and balanced ecosystem in the same way that large terrestrial predators are important to natural ecosystems on land. The presence of healthy and diverse shark populations in coastal waters indicates a healthy and diverse ecosystem. Sharks help to control the populations and impacts of meso-consumers which in turn allows for healthy populations of fish stocks important to broader fishery activities.

The Seychelles NPOA identifies Artisanal Shark Fishermen (ASF) as a primary stakeholder in the context of shark populations along with dive companies and the locally licensed semi-industrial long line fleet. It recognizes that the effective participation and buy-in of these groups is essential its success. The NPOA however, also notes that one of the obstacles to its successful implementation is the limited capacity of artisanal shark fishermen to fulfil their obligations as set out in the various work programmes and also to properly represent their concerns on the NPOA steering Committee. This project is therefore designed to address these concerns and in so doing support the implementation of the NPOA as an important national strategic document.
The project sets out 3 categories of activity:

1). Is to bring together as many ASF as possible from the three main islands to identify and discuss their common concerns and utilise this as a basis for them to work together to effectively represent their concerns on the National Steering Committee.

2). Is to develop an efficient and effective means for the fishermen themselves to gather and manage data on their shark catch. This involves standardising all the local names for species, which often vary with locality, so that there is a common understanding of the species caught. Enabling the fishermen to gather and manage their own data is a key step in empowering them to effectively negotiate on the steering committee and to play their critical role in managing the stocks so vital to their own livelihoods.

3). Is the communications programme which will produce media (such as this post) and educational materials about the importance of healthy shark stocks to the broader marine ecosystem and also raise awareness of the sound methods and resource usage practiced in the artisanal fishery where typically the whole shark from its meat, fins, teeth, skin and even some of its entrails are put to productive use.

This project is another sustainable development initiative, where GIF – in line with its articles of association - seeks to work with the private sector to build sustainable livelihoods and maintain the ecosystems that support them for the benefit of all. GIF now has initiatives ongoing on four islands with more projects in the final stages of negotiation.

This post serves merely as introduction to this MFF/GIF project with the artisanal shark fishery. As its various activities are undertaken more posts will be put up providing details of progress and the challenges faced… so please do check back periodically. (Contributed by John Nevill).

ReCoMaP project

The last three months have been very interesting with project implementation for the GIF team, on both Grand Anse Praslin and Denis Island. The project in question is related to integrated coastal zone management (ICZM), funded by the European Union under the Regional Coastal Management Programme (ReCoMaP).


Entitled “Modelling coastal zone management scenarios in Seychelles using Denis Island and Grand Anse Praslin as pilot sites” this project aims to.address the management issues and user conflicts so as to develop Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) models and technical tools for application on other coasts of Seychelles.

Initiation of this project has been interesting as it allows us to work very closely with local communities dealing with several coastal zone issues, which range from sand movement, coastal hydrodynamics, beach cast and turtle nesting grounds. One of the key aspects of this project which was greatly considered in stakeholder workshops (See next post) is the identification of key community members to form the steering committee at each pilot site. The steering committee will assist greatly in the project implementation, namely in data collection which in the end, will provide the tools to develop an ICZM model and its functioning mechanism at the end of the project. This essential tool will provide the management framework that ensures stakeholders’ operations, meet government policy objectives and at the same time respect the rights of other stakeholders in the community. In the end, it will also provide guidance on environmentally-friendly operations.
There is also a wide array of overarching national stakeholders, namely Ministry of National Development (GIS Unit), Ministry of Environment Natural Resources and Transport (Environmental Engineering and Wetlands Section) and the Planning Authority. At the end of the project, we hope that such key model developed will be adopted at national level, in order to better understand and hopefully manage our coastal zone and its abundant resources.

Please click on the link below to read the full Newspaper article produced prior to the stakeholder workshop for each site:

www.nation.sc/index.php?art=19332

GIF Staff and work progress

It has been a while since you last read our blog-a lot has happened in terms of project initiation and ongoing activities. I thought it is high time to spare a few hours just to put thoughts on paper so as to share our experiences of the past few months. Several; exciting activities and projects have kick-started and hence, I have not had the time to put everything in writing. I apologise for the delay and I do hope that you will enjoy reading this update.

Following the submission of the first blog by a new person for the year 2010, I find it necessary to introduce myself as well as the other new staff of Green Islands Foundation (GIF). My name is Michelle Etienne and I am the new General Manager of Green Islands Foundation. I graduated from James Cook University in Townsville, Australia with a BSc in Marine Biology and aquaculture. My childhood dream of working within the marine realm came true indeed, and coupled with my work experience from the marine research section of the Marine Parks Authority, I felt equipped with the necessary tools to take up this post. One thing which drew me to GIF is the fact that I am tackling conservation biology and management from a different perspective that is on islands which have made great initial progress in conservation on both national and international fronts. Moreover, these islands have so much to offer in terms of potential research and conservation initiatives. My background is mostly concentrated on marine conservation biology and also broad coastal zone management research. With this job, I am hoping to share my knowledge at the same time enhancing it, to gain maximum in all aspects pertaining to the natural environment of Seychelles.

GIF has also welcomed its Project Manager Mrs. Helena Francourt in March, to assist in the implementation of various projects, notably the newly initiated ReCoMaP project, which started in the 2nd week of March on the Island of Praslin, one of the pilot project sites.
This is what Helena has to say about herself:
“From a very early age I felt drawn to the music of the oceans that surround the Seychelles islands. This is not hard to imagine as I am sure many who have visited the Seychelles Islands will understand. For those who haven’t, our islands are characterised by turquoise waters, golden strands, striking reefs which are bursting with life of all shapes and sizes and all colours of the rainbow. It is particularly the reefs that drew me to explore the marine world. The Seychelles’ reefs are where the coral gardens absorb the intense light from our tropical sun, and the most striking of colours and combinations burst out and are revealed. It is always a gobsmacking experience to dive in the Seychelles.
By the age of 12, I was adamant that I would pursue a career in marine conservation. I started diving as soon as I was old enough to do so and by 18 years of age I was a qualified PADI dive master, working in dive centres during the school holidays. As a student I was also a very active environmental campaigner, participating in many environmental activities such as nature trail clearing, essay writing and public speaking competitions and so on. In the year 2000 my environment club won the prize of all environment club’s dreams; a trip to Aldabra! I am also therefore, one of the very few Seychellois and people of the world in fact who have had the opportunity to visit and dive on this atoll. It is in fact the most beautiful place I have ever visited and the experience is etched within me.
Not long after this life changing experience, I was off to Australia to study Marine Biology! No surprises there! I aced my way through my university exams and was accepted into the Marine Biology Advanced Programme which is designed to mould students for independent research and honors year. Upon my return to the beautiful Seychelles, I worked as a research officer at the Seychelles Centre for Marine Research and Technology (SCMRT) in the Marine Parks Authority. The experience I gained there was very fulfilling. To further diversify and gain different experiences, something which is very important to do here in the Seychelles, I moved to the Green Islands Foundation (GIF) this year (2010). I believe that this will provide endless opportunities to grow and learn about other aspects of conservation other than marine. These include endemic bird introductions and habitat restoration to name a few. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead and I am ready to tackle them head on!”

GIF also has an environmental officer, namely Mr. Phil Greenwell working on Denis island, our key project site where we conduct numerous projects, such as the coastal zone management. Phil joined us in April to oversee the magpie robin programme and at the same time getting geared up for Professor Chris Feare’s visit for the sooty tern season and the mynah eradication projects. The two projects started in mid-May. (More details on these projects will be provided in the next post). Phill is based on Denis Island working on a variety of conservation projects. His main responsibilities are myna bird control; feeding & monitoring of the endangered Seychelles Magpie Robin and turtle monitoring.

Since graduating from Reading University in 2009 with his MSc in Wildlife Management & Conservation Phill has lectured BSc students in Animal Management before undertaking his current role with G.I.F. With extensive experience in captive animal management Phill has also gained conservation experience with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in South Wales and the Department of Conservation & Land Management in Western Australia. Avian behavior and management are his main areas of interest, with academic work looking at invasive species (Rainbow lorikeet in Western Australia); preening behavior (inhibitory role of uropygial oil on feather bacteria) and impacts of wild bird trade on conservation. Born and raised in Wales, Phill has travelled widely for work, volunteer, pleasure and education purposes.

The months of March and April were mostly to initiate the ICZM project sponsored by the EU through the ReCoMaP, on both Denis Island and the Grand Anse- Amitie coast of Praslin, two key representative areas of ICZM scenarios in the country (see newspaper article in next post). A list of equipment was purchased to facilitate project implementation, notably in identifying and monitoring of key indicators on each site. Stakeholder analysis and consultations were carried out to assist in the key indicator identification that is, finding the key issues that seem problematic to the local community. A stakeholder workshop was organised at each pilot site with the aim of disseminating information about integrated coastal zone management and also provide training to the residents on the ways to monitor their key indicators, notably turtle monitoring and beach profiling (See photos in side bar).

In May, Denis Island welcomed Professor Chris Feare, who arrived for this year’s sooty tern re-colonisation project as well as to initiate the mynah eradication programme.The first Sooty Tern to be recorded over the ‘sooty tern area’ in 2010 was seen on 1st June, and on 3rd June the first landing was observed. In the mornings and afternoons Sooty terns are now seen frequently over the area and several birds have landed for short or longer periods (one for 40 minutes) (Feare, 2010). There is photographic evidence that mynah birds are major nest predators and competitors to a lot of birds on the island, notably the introduced endemics such as the Seychelles magpie robin and the paradise flycatcher. As a means of control of this invasive alien species on the island, it was necessary to initiate such a programme (See next post).

The last three months have been busy with project initiation and ongoing projects, which have been positive in their outcomes. So far I can say that the GIF team have learnt a lot and seen a whole lot of things from a different perspective.