The Seychelles has increased its marine protected areas to 26%. This completes the second milestone of the award-winning conservation finance deal designed by The Nature Conservancy.
In 2016 the deal, which was completed on behalf of the Government of Seychelles, turned sovereign debt repayments into long-term conservation funding.
It is the first ‘debt conversion’ to go towards protecting marine ecosystems. According to a statement by The Nature Conservancy, Minister Wallace Cosgrow of the Ministry for Environment, Energy and Climate Change signed the designation order on 12 April 2019 to legally gazette two areas.
The two areas were identified and chosen by the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) Initiative and fall into the Seychelle’s Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial Sea.
The MSP covers all 1.35 million square kilometres of Seychelles’ waters, with the purpose of expanding marine protection to 30%. The MSP also seeks to address climate change adaptation, and support the national ‘Blue Economy’.
The third and final milestone will see the remaining 4% of the marine protection goal be achieved. The Marine Spatial Plan will be complete by 2020.
Image source: Pixabay
