Tag: Seychelles
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High Seas Ambition Begins at Home
By Dr. Nirmal Jivan Shah “The BBNJ Agreement promises stronger protection for the high seas. For Seychelles, its success will depend on something much closer to home: whether a small island state has the capacity to translate international ambition into durable national action.” Seychelles ratified the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine…
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Tonnes of fishing gear and plastic are washing up on Seychelles beaches. We tracked where it was coming from
Alex Albinski, University of Oxford and Noam Vogt-Vincent, University of Oxford Vast quantities of plastic and fishing gear are washing up along the shores of the Seychelles, destroying fragile ecosystems and causing significant economic problems. Aldabra Atoll, a Unesco world heritage site in this archipelago nation of 115 islands, is estimated to have accumulated more…
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Seychelles’ first floating solar project expected to be operational in December
(Seychelles News Agency 11.7.2026) Installation work on the solar panels for the Seychelles’ first floating photovoltaic project, in the Providence Lagoon, is approximately 10% complete. The 5.8-megawatt power station is now scheduled to enter commercial operation in December this year. Once the floating solar farm becomes operational, it will comprise 9,980 solar panels that will…
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MPAs need people and resources
By Nirmal Shah A new preprint (not peer-reviewed yet) led by some great researchers says that fewer than 100,000 full-time workers are responsible for about 36 million square kilometres of MPAs, roughly one worker for every 370 square kilometres. On land, protected areas employ about 555,000 people across 20 million square kilometres, or one worker…
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Education Is Economic Strategy: What Seychelles Can Learn from China’s University Revolution
Nirmal Shah Seychelles has just concluded its first Science, Technology and Innovation Forum, a 3 day initiative that brought together local and international experts to discuss the country’s future. As expected, digitisation, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies dominated the agenda. Obviously people looked towards advanced economies particularly the United States. But there is another country…
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The Ocean’s Unsung Engineers: Why Sea Cucumbers are in Deep Trouble
By Dr Nirmal Shah They may be the “ugly ducklings” of the sea, but sea cucumbers are the unsung heroes of our marine world. Far from being mere lumps on the ocean floor, these fascinating creatures are essential ecosystem engineers. Much like earthworms on land, they tirelessly recycle nutrients, clean sediments, and process organic matter.…
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From Flame to Framework: Tackling IUU Fishing in the Western Indian Ocean
On the horizon of the Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in early 2026, the sky was blackened not by a storm, but by the thick plumes of a burning trawler. The intentional destruction of the “Eshini Duwa”—a Sri Lankan vessel intercepted by the Seychelles Coast Guard with an illegal haul of sharks—sent a visceral message…
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Smart, Resilient Investments Key to Jobs and Growth in Seychelles, New World Bank Group Report Finds
WASHINGTON, March 27, 2026— Seychelles has built one of Africa’s strongest economic success stories, and a new report outlines how decisive, resilient, and smart investments and reforms, particularly in tourism, fisheries, energy, infrastructure, and skill building can sustain these gains, unlock new growth engines, create thousands of new quality jobs, and safeguard livelihoods across the…
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Opening of Africa’s First Land-Based Coral Aquaculture Facility for Climate Adaptation
Nature Seychelles is proud to announce the opening of the Assisted Recovery of Corals (ARC) Facility, Africa’s first land-based coral aquaculture facility for climate adaptation and conservation. The facility, located adjacent to Nature Seychelles’ Centre for Ocean Restoration Awareness and Learning (CORAL) in Amitié, Praslin Island, was officially opened on 9 May 2025, by the…
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Seychelles artisanal fishers benefit from new pension scheme
Artisanal fishers in Seychelles will as from April 1 be able to contribute towards a new pension scheme with the Seychelles Pension Fund (SPF), on a voluntary basis. The scheme, which was initially announced by Minister for Finance, National Planning and Trade, Naadir Hassan, during the 2025 budget presentation, has been made possible through the…