Implementing the Marine Spatial Plan (MPS), undertaking species restoration projects, and controlling and eradicating invasive species are among the priorities of Seychelles to align its National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

This was shared with SNA by the senior project coordinator and focal point for Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Indira Gamatis, after an inception workshop on Wednesday. The aim of the workshop was to introduce stakeholders to the objectives of the Global Biodiversity Framework - Early Action Support project.

Participants were representatives of different environment not-for-profit organisations, officers from the ministries of environment, tourism and education,  and trade and investment partners.

Gamatis said that having signed the biodiversity convention, Seychelles has an obligation to update its NBSAPs.

Participants at the inception workshop on Wednesday. (Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment) Photo License: CC-BY

"In COP15, held December last year, we adopted the new framework for biodiversity and all countries that have signed the convention need to implement it nationally. The implementation will be carried out through our National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. We are looking at how we can align the NBSAP with the global framework and that will mean outlining our national priority projects for biodiversity, and how we will put them in line with the new GBF," said Gamatis.

Restoration of degraded areas, helping threatened species, and mobilising resources and capacity building are also other areas of priority for Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.

Gamatis shared that the project has four components - the alignment, financing, and how to mobilise resources, how to update Seychelles' national plan to finance biodiversity projects, and look at policies and align them with the NBSAP and global framework.

The project, which is expected to end next year, is being financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF)

The half-day workshop, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), also sought to review initial project deliverables and baselines. It also sought to review implementation arrangements as well as refresh Seychelles' progress on the NBSAPs

"This is the start of the process of setting our national targets and seeing how they align at the global level so that we can also implement our global targets and goals. It will enable us as a country to lay our role and implement them," said Gamatis.

During the workshop, participants were introduced to project management, monitoring, and evaluation, key components, outputs, and outcomes.