Blue Economy Seychelles

Notes on transitioning away from the business-as-usual model and the principles of building a blue economy

Abstract — Effective conservation of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the western Indian Ocean is hindered by a lack of basic ecological information about its diet and habitat requirements. This study utilised stomach samples from dead turtles and oesophageal lavage, together with in-water observations of foraging turtles, to identify the relative importance of species contributing to the diet of hawksbill turtles at five localities in the Republic of Seychelles.

After two underwater heat waves in 1998 and 2010, El Nino has once again struck coral reefs worldwide, triggering the third global coral bleaching event in recorded history. In December 2015, Nature Seychelles' Reef Rescuers team launched a Bleaching Response Plan. This report is based on the weekly monitoring undertaken on the transplanted reef and control sites within Cousin Island Special Reserve as well as Les Parisiennes reef; used as a donor site for the 2010/15 coral restoration project.

This report was drafted by a working group of United Nations entities, the World Bank, and other stakeholders to suggest a common understanding of the blue economy; to highlight the importance of such an approach, particularly for small island developing states and coastal least developed countries; to identify some of the key challenges its adoption poses; and to suggest some broad next steps that are called for in order to ensure its implementation.