UN World Habitat Day 2013: Population and Urbanization in a Small island State – The Seychelles case

Contributed by Paul Chow: Seychelles is comprised of only 3 islands, out of 115, that have permanent population. These three islands are situated within a range of 30 kilometers of each other, despite our economic zone stretching over a million square kilometers of the Indian Ocean. The largest island is roughly 20 kilometers by 7 kilometers. Urbanization, therefore, has a completely different meaning for our tiny capital city, Victoria, than Nairobi for example, famous for two large townships or slums comprising of millions of formerly rural peasants, all living a miserable existence in search of a better standard of living around the city.

New life to the Sanctuary at Roche Caiman

Curlew sandpiper"Today was a good day at the Sanctuary," Robin said to me early this week. "There was a number of birds I have not seen here before that are now turning up or being seen regularly and in increased numbers." Robin Hanson is the manager of the Sanctuary at Roche Caiman, the wetland reserve Nature Seychelles manages. He is referring to different species of birds called waders, which have been attracted by the big pools of water resulting from recent work at the Sanctuary.

Giant Tortoise population on Cousin Island flourishes

The Aldabra Giant Tortoises on Cousin Island Special Reserve are with no doubt one its greatest attractions. Visitors instantly fall in love with them when they meet individuals hanging out at the beach. Some are quite famous, with the one named George being the most photographed. He recently appeared in all his glory in a full page of the Lonely Traveller Magazine.

Nature Seychelles hosts successful Mangroves Open Day

mangroves open dayIt was a fulfilling and fun morning for the  people who turned up for Nature Seychelles' Open Day to plant mangroves at the Sanctuary at Roche Caiman. From 9 am to just past 11 am they took to the existing mangrove stands at the Sanctuary to collect mangrove propagules (seeds) and to plant them at a selected area of the site.

Seychelles Minister for Tourism speaks out on access to hotels and beaches

High-end resorts in Seychelles have been built around the prime beaches such that beach access by non-hotel residents could become difficult or impossible. Recently, the Seychelles Minister of Tourism and Culture, Mr. Alain St. Ange took this thorny subject on board, particularly after bitter letters to the press. The Minister spoke to Nirmal Shah the CEO of Nature Seychelles on his take on this ongoing national debate:  http://goo.gl/7TE5S4

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