(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles' President Wavel Ramkalawan pledged to use ocean resources sustainably in order to ensure the livelihoods of future generations, inaugurating a time capsule on Moyenne Island on Saturday to mark the event.

Ramkalawan placed the time capsule on Moyenne in the Sainte Anne National Park in his capacity as the patron of the Ocean Decade Alliance 2021-2030. He was nominated as one of the two patrons of the Ocean Decade Alliance in February 2021 at the One Ocean Summit held in Brest.

The event commemorates the African Day of the Seas and Oceans 2022 of the African Union (AU), which is usually celebrated on July 25 each year.

The time capsule is located at the most visited point on the Moyenne, the burial site of Brendon Grimshaw, the former British owner of the island. The Sainte Anne Marine National Park is the first marine protected area of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.  

The pledge reads: "I, Wavel Ramkalawan, pledge to bring together all the energy and commitment of the People of Seychelles to ensure that our oceans, seas, and marine resources are utilised sustainably to secure the livelihood of our future generations."

The pledge was made by President Ramkalawan. (Salifa Karapetyan, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

In his address, Ramkalawan said that "we cannot only think about our pockets but also about how we continue to preserve our environment, and keep something for the future generations. As the person who is today the president of the country, I say that we need to continue to preserve our oceans, our seas, and the environment so that the future generations can enjoy what we have known."

The design of the time capsule, which was made by artists Joakim Hoareau and Alain Camille, stems from the concept of the circular economy which is being promoted by the department of the blue economy. The bottle used symbolises one of the many items that are often wrongly discarded, and pushes out a strong message on the importance of reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering waste. 

The time capsule will be opened on July 25, 2030. The senior monitoring and evaluation officer at the blue economy department, Gabriella Gonthier, said that following the opening of the time capsule people will be able to see if the president's pledge has been attained.

The design of the time capsule was made by artists Joakim Hoareau and Alain Camille. (Salifa Karapetyan, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

"Ten years later we will be able to see if Seychelles is still leading in the blue economy after the president has pledged for it. At the end of the day, you can say that what the president wants, our department has to push for in terms of policies. Parastatals like SFA [Seychelles Fishing Authority) and the department of fisheries are the implementing agencies," she added.

Gonthier explained that Moyenne was chosen as the site for the time capsule as it is in the smallest marine national park in the world and "it is an achievement for Seychelles to boast about."

"Moyenne is a great example of what the blue economy for Seychelles means, and that is the balance between economic benefits with the tourists coming in, the environmental preservation, and the social benefits you can attain from that which is an enhanced experience of what Seychelles has to offer," she continued.

During the ceremony, the Moyenne App was also inaugurated by the president. The app, which can be downloaded for both Android and IOS users, is the first application to be used on Moyenne to enhance the experience of both locals and visitors.