Cousin on CNN
Plans to make Cousin Island the first Carbon Neutral Reserve receive world attention
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fforts to make Cousin Island the first carbon neutral reserve in the world received a dose of publicity at the end of last month through a CNN World Report submitted by the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). The report related the incredible triumph of Cousin island, which was turned from a loss making coconut plantation to one of the world’s conservation successes. Cousin is a popular ecotourism destination, attracting about 11,000 eco-visitors every year. Like most visitors to the Seychelles, they arrive via long haul flights.
However, such travel is increasingly raising unease. Travel experts are concerned that the extensive journeys often required to reach untouched natural wonders such as those found in the Seychelles produces climate-destroying greenhouses gases and causes other environmental damage. A further danger to poor countries is the call by many first world politicians, analysts and academics that the tourist industry should give priority to developing ecotourism in markets closer to home. Such emphasis on less air travel might result in a voluntary roll back on long distance trips by tourists. This would in turn have far reaching consequences for far flung destinations such as Seychelles, whose economy is largely dependent on tourism. To counter such a serious turn of events, visitors need to be reassured that carbon emissions related to their travel are being offset. This is what Nature Seychelles is seeking to do for Cousin Island. “We want our eco-visitors to not only enjoy the incredible nature that’s been restored, but to also come here conscience free, knowing their carbon footprint has been reduced”. Nirmal Shah, the CEO, says. “Therefore, we want to put in place a carbon offset program that will maintain Cousin’s worldwide reputation as a world class reserve, protect the environment, and reassure visitors that their travel to the Reserve would be carbon neutral”
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT PROTECTS SEABIRDS
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everal species of seabirds found in the Seychelles have been protected under the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). This is a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) backed convention which protects migratory water birds. The seabird species were added at the Fourth Meeting of the Parties of the AEWA which was held in Madagascar last month was attended by over 150 representatives of government and non-governmental organizations as well as experts from 80 countries. The seabird species found in Seychelles which are now protected include the White tailed Tropic Bird (payanke lakeblan), Red tailed Tropic Bird (payanke lakerouz), Bridled Tern (fansen), Sooty Tern (golet), Brown Noddy (kelek), Lesser Noddy (makwa), Great Frigate bird (gran fregat), Lesser Frigatebird (ti fregat) and Masked Booby (fou zenero). The inclusion of the seabird species on the AEWA list provides them with greater international protection and calls upon countries and other stakeholders in the region to take concrete action for those species that are not being conserved properly. The Meeting of Parties noted that most seabird populations are highly threatened. Amongst the threats facing seabirds are food shortages due to depletion of fish stocks, to which overfishing and climate change both contribute. By catch in long line fisheries, oil pollution and solid waste are other problems for seabirds. Further threats are destruction of habitats and
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unsustainable human exploitation. On land threats include disturbances at breeding sites and introduced terrestrial predators. The international scientific advisory body of the AEWA had reviewed existing provisions and regulations related to seabirds in international law and found that although a number of provisions and regulations exist, the threats seabirds are facing are insufficiently covered by other international Environmental Agreements. The inclusion of these migratory seabird species in the AEWA will help fill this gap and provides the basis for greater international conservation efforts.