News and Blogs

  1. Latest News
  2. Cousin Island News
  3. Blue Economy Seychelles
  4. Green Health Blog
  • Research: Roaming seabirds need ocean-wide protection, research shows

    Unlike other oceans, which are known to have specific “hotspots” where predators, including seabirds, gather in large numbers to feed, the Indian Ocean lacks such concentrated feeding areas, a recent paper has revealed. This lack of hotspots is particularly concerning given the various threats seabirds face due to human activities.[…]

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  • Saya de Malha leaves for its third dFAD clean-up expedition

    (Seychelles Nation) The Saya de Malha vessel of the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) left Port Victoria yesterday afternoon for its third drifting Fishing Aggregate Devices (dFAD) expedition clean-up exercise in Seychelles territorial waters and shores of the outer islands. As customary since the first expedition in October 2022, students from Seychelles[…]

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Coming Soon!

Coral Aquaculture Facility!

coral aquaculture web banner

We have started work on the Assisted Recovery of Corals (ARC) facility to revolutionise our coral reef restoration process Learn more

Find Us On ...

Implementing the SDGs

At Nature Seychelles we are committed to working with government, development partners and donors in implementing relevant actions, in particular, looking at certain goals where we can build on our existing strengths. Read more

Seychelles Wildlife

Natural environment of the Seychelles

Seychelles is a unique environment, which sustains a very special biodiversity. It is special for a number of different reasons. These are the oldest oceanic islands to be found anywhere...

Bird Watching

Seychelles is a paradise for birdwatchers, you can easily see the unique land birds, the important sea bird colonies, and the host of migrants and vagrants. Some sea bird...

Seychelles Black Parrot

Black Parrot or Kato Nwar in Creolee is brown-grey in colour, not truly black. Many bird experts treat it as a local form of a species found in Madagascar and...

Fairy Tern

The Fairy (or white) Tern is a beautiful bird seen on all islands in Seychelles, even islands like Mahe where they are killed by introduced rats, cats and Barn Owls....

Introduced Land Birds

A little over two hundred years ago, there were no humans living permanently in Seychelles. When settlement occurred, people naturally brought with them the animals and plants they needed to...

Native Birds

Although over 190 different species of bird have been seen on or around the central islands of Seychelles (and the number is increasing all the time), many of these are...

Migrant Shore Birds

Shallow seas and estuaries are very rich in invertebrate life. Many birds feed on the worms, crabs and shellfish in these habitats; often, they have long bills for probing sand...

Seychelles Magpie Robin

The most endangered of the endemic birds, Seychelles Magpie Robin or Pi Santez in Creole, came close to extinction in the late twentieth century; in 1970 there were only about...

Seychelles Blue Pigeon

The Seychelles Blue Pigeon or Pizon Olande in Creole, spends much of its life in the canopy of trees and eats the fruits of figs, bwa dir, ylang ylang and...

Seychelles White-eye

The Seychelles White-eye or Zwazo Linet in Creole, is rare and endemic. They may sometimes be seen in gardens and forest over 300m at La Misere, Cascade and a few...

Seychelles Black Paradise Flycatcher

The Seychelles Black Paradise Flycatcher or the Vev in Creole is endemic to Seychelles, you cannot find this bird anywhere else on earth. Although it was once widespread on...

Seychelles Sunbird

The tiny sunbird or Kolibri in Creole, is one of the few endemic species that has thrived since humans arrived in the Seychelles.

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Achievements

  • Stopped near extinctions of birds +

    Down-listing of the critically endangered Seychelles warbler from Critically Endangered to Near Threatened. Other Seychelles birds have also been saved including the Seychelles Magpie Robin, Seychelles Fody, and the Seychelles
  • Restored whole island ecosystems +

    We transformed Cousin Island from a coconut plantation to a thriving vibrant and diverse island ecosystem. Success achieved on Cousin was replicated on other islands with similar conservation activities.
  • Championed climate change solutions +

    Nature Seychelles has risen to the climate change challenge in our region in creative ways to adapt to the inevitable changing of times.
  • Education and Awareness +

    We have been at the forefront of environmental education, particularly with schools and Wildlife clubs
  • Sustainable Tourism +

    We manage the award-winning eco-tourism programme on Cousin Island started in 1970
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Get your grow on

At Nature Seychelles’ Heritage (organic) Garden we are constantly trying to innovate to get people to take charge of what Nature Seychelles’ Chief Executive, Dr Nirmal Jivan Shah calls their own “food system”. One of our main thrusts always has been promoting urban gardening and getting people even in apartments to grow herbs, spices and vegetables to improve their health and reduce their food budget and their carbon footprint.

We recently received innovative gardening kits from our partner Geffroy’s Farm, which are ideal for the apartment dweller and those with no land but who want a small kitchen garden. These are Grow Bags which are stand-alone systems that are so simple children can grow and harvest food using them. Geffroy’s farm owner, Jean-Paul Geffroy visited us to not only donate 5 grow bags but to also give a demonstration on how to use them. These are now on display for visitors to The Sanctuary as well as those coming to stock up on organic produce that we produce.

The grow bags are fully certified organic and the complete package includes a bag of soil which already has peat mixed in, a styrofoam box on top of which the bag of soil is placed, and a bottle of organic fertilizer which is fed through a special hole in one corner of the box. The growing system is semi-hydroponic.

“I wanted to further contribute to the home garden sector in the Seychelles,” Jean-Paul explains. “Geffroy’s has been selling seedlings at an affordable price for those wishing to grow their own vegetables and herbs. With the grow bag we can now offer a better package.”

 Jean-Paul (2nd Right) explaining to Dr Shah (2nd left) and Nature Seychelles gardeners (far left and right) how the grow bags work

The grow bags, which were imported from Denmark are suitable for home gardens even if one does not have a backyard. They can be used in apartments, are easy to assemble and require little maintenance once planting has been done.

“Although the grow bag is suitable for those who do not have time to water or tend to the plant regularly, it is not a magic box,” Jean-Paul says. “You still have to give care to the plant. The water has to be topped up and the nutrients as well have to be replenished using the liquid fertilizer. The plant itself needs to be protected from pests, that is why we also have additional products such as neem oil, a bio-pesticide and a growth regulator. We have these available for sale from the farm at 300 rupees per bottle.”

If the bag containing the soil has not been broken or contaminated, they can be re-used for another round of vegetables or herbs. However if the bag is damaged, it is also possible to then later buy this separately from Geffroy’s.

“This is a great initiative and in line with Nature Seychelles’ Green Health Program which aims to encourage Seychellois to live healthier lives and more in tune with nature, for example through creating their own organic home gardens,” says Shah.

“Since we formally partnered a couple of years ago under our network called Sustainable Organic Seychelles, we have received seedlings as well as other garden resources and advice from Jean-Paul at no cost. For a charitable organisation such as ours, this greatly bolsters our outreach, in this case through our Heritage and Organic Gardens.”

The grow bags will be available for sale at Geffroy’s Farm in Anse Royale for 850 rupees for the complete pack. Additionally, also available from the Farm’s stall in Victoria Market for 90 rupees each are bags of peat which can be used for enriching the soil for those already with home gardens.

Partners & Awards

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Our History

Since 1998.

Seychelles Nature, Green HealthClimate Change, Biodiversity Conservation & Sustainability Organisation

@CousinIsland Manager

Facebook: http://goo.gl/Q9lXM

Roche Caiman, Mahe

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We accept donations. Your support and generosity help us continue with our work in nature conservation in Seychelles. Email nature@seychelles.netdonate

Contact Us

Centre for Environment & Education

Roche Caiman,

P.O. Box 1310, Mahe, Seychelles

Tel:+ 248 2519090

Email: nature@seychelles.net