Avian gold rush
Nature Seychelles (BirdLife Partner in Seychelles) has just partnered with Mint, the first official gold coin company in Seychelles towards the continued management of The Sanctuary at Roche Caiman, a unique urban wetland reserve on Mahe. Mint was officially launched by the Minister of Finance and Investment Pierre Laporte and The Governor of the Central Bank Ms. Caroline Abel on Wednesday morning in a ceremony held at the Seychelles International Airport.
Mint’s first collection of gold coins is a set of five limited edition pieces dubbed the Avian Collection, because they are each designed with the image of a bird on one side.The 24 karat gold coins which are for the moment exclusively available at the airport duty free section are a tribute to some of Seychelles flying beauties: Seychelles Kestrel, Seychelles scoops owl, Seychelles paradise flycatcher, Seychelles blue pigeon and the Seychelles bulbul.
“We’ve chosen to partner with Nature Seychelles on the avian collection in that, for every sale, a percentage will go towards the Roche Caiman Sanctuary,” says Rod Thorington, owner of Mint. “We’ve chosen to partner with Nature Seychelles as they are striving for sustainability and I believe that long term projects like the one in Roche Caiman will leave a valuable legacy for Seychellois.”
Central Bank Governor, Ms Caroline Abel, also emphasized the importance of working with a local conservation organization in not only displaying but more importantly working in the conservation of Seychelles’ biodiversity.
The avian collection is the first of many collections with the intention that each subsequent collection will be created around the character and charm of Seychelles. “Each collection will be inspired and designed around the fauna, flora, landscape or the people of Seychelles,” said Mr. Thorington at the launch. “Although the gold is at this point minted and made in the UK, all the elements are Seychellois.”
In the last two years, Mint has been working in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Seychelles, Financial Services Authority (FSA), Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) and Nature Seychelles towards realizing the vision of creating these unique Seychelles inspired gold coins. Indeed, the coins are valuable in promoting the Seychelles people, wildlife and natural environment, while giving tourists a collectable memorabilia.
Mr. Gilbert Faure SCAA chief executive officer said that the SCAA welcomes the opening, through Jouel, of the new Mint Kiosk at the Seychelles International Airport departure lounge. He added that such innovative business offers a new variety of products to passengers who are mostly tourists.
“Being a tourism destination, the unique gold coin collection which pays tribute to our avian fauna, is definitely designed as a souvenir product for tourists.” said Mr. Faure. “It will also serve as a collectors’ item for our local clients as well,” he said.
Mr. Faure also calls on other businesses that can help enhance passengers’ airport experience to bring their proposals forward as the Seychelles International Airport is moving towards more innovative ways to further meet clients’ expectations.
Dr. Nirmal Shah the Chief Executive of Nature Seychelles says that “it is vital the environment of Seychelles is seen as a leading ‘brand element” which has high net worth. This value is not only in terms of money that can be earned from the environment but also from legacy values that wise environmental management brings for future generations. We are highly appreciative that this high-end, bespoke company has chosen to partner with us, which underscores the appreciation for our world class, award winning programs.
Photos: 1)The avian collection is a collectable memorabilia of the bird life in Seychelles 2) The opening of the Mint kiosk will be an added value to tourism in showcasing the beauty of Seychelles 3) Guests at the MINT launch were able to view and learn more about the gold coins 4) L-R Kerstin Henri Director of Strategic Operations & Project Management (Nature Seychelles) Rod Thorington Mint Owner and Dr Shah Nature Seychelles CEO
