And the winner is...

Some of the award winners photo credit Today Newspaper

Nature Seychelles was on Saturday night named the Best Environment Sustainability organisation in Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (SCCI) business awards gala. The second annual Business Awards event was held at Eden Bleu Hotel in a swanky event attended by over two hundred prominent people in the Seychelles business community.

"We were very pleasantly surprised to have been nominated by the Seychelles business community for the award, considering that we are a not-for-profit, non-governmental orgnisation,” says Ms. Kerstin Henri, Nature Seychelles’ Director who attended the event and received the award. “We feel very honored and touched that we ended up winning the award.”

Ms Kerstin Henri Nature Seychelles Director receving award form Marco Francis, SCCI chairman

Nature Seychelles is one of the oldest and largest non-governmental environmental organisation in the Seychelles and a leading organisation in the sector in the Western Indian Ocean. Nature Seychelles work is modelled in such a way that it is sustainable in so far as natural resources, wildlife and people are concerned. For instance self-funded eco-tourism on Cousin Island which is run by a team of Seychellois; making Cousin Island carbon neutral; using renewable energy such as solar to power Cousin; and rain water harvesting at the Centre for Environment and Education. 

“Our entire work has to be sustainable because of the business environment that we work in,” Ms Henri explains. “Our different operations are run in a very sustainable way from eco-tourism to using as much renewable sources as possible. We also work with many local tour operators on Praslin and Mahe.”

 The gala night was attended by over 200 prominent personalities in Seychelles

Nature Seychelles’ work in conservation and environmental management which began in 1998 has seen it recognised for numerous achievements such as bringing back endangered species from the brink of extinction; restoring island habitats; managing renowned Marine Protected Areas (Cousin Island Special Reserve); environmental education and awareness; innovative scale-up ideas such as the Heritage (organic) Garden and Green Yoga programme in Roche Caiman; and of vital importance, involving the local people in conservation work.

“It is very nice to be recognised in this case not by your peers but by a community that is the backbone of the country’s economy,” Ms Henry pointed out. “I think it will give us a new type of energy and make us look at our operations as an NGO in a different light. Perhaps it will pave the way for future new relationships between the private and charity sectors not only here in Seychelles but in the region and internationally as well.”

Nature Seychelles is the BirdLife partner in Seychelles, a member of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA).

The winner of the lifetime achievement award was Mike King Harman owner of Hunt Deltel, current board member of Nature Seychelles and former chair to the board. “I am very happy for him because this is very well deserved,” Ms Henri said. “He is a perfect example of a successful entrepreneur who devotes part of his time and resources to the charity sector and really takes the corporate social responsibility to heart, and lives it every day.”