Seychelles to use giant tortoises to connect with world |24 November 2014

Can Seychelles preserve and use its giant tortoises as a symbolic way of connecting with the world like China has done with its giant pandas which are a big business both for the country and the zoos?

The idea was discussed on Saturday morning at the Botanical Gardens, Mont Fleuri and is included in a memorandum of understanding signed the same day.

National Botanical Gardens Foundation (NBGF) chief executive Raymond Brioche signed on the part of Seychelles and Beijing Botanical Gardens director, Dr Shiwei Zhao, signed on the Chinese side.

NBGF board chairman, Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne and Zhao Genwu, the deputy secretary general of the people’s government of Beijing municipality also signed the documents.

Mr Brioche said the memorandum of understanding encompasses consultation, cooperation and exchange.

“The MoU encompasses research on endemic plants found in Seychelles and the genetics of different species. We will also see how the Chinese have been able to protect and preserve their pandas which are very important for them. They have done this very well and we want to learn from them and put in place measures to protect our giant tortoises which are equivalent to China’s pandas in terms of importance. China does not gift their pandas, they lease them and this is something we too can do to help connect Seychelles with the world,” Mr Brioche told Seychelles Nation.

Training is also included in the MoU and Mr Brioche noted that they will work with the Beijing Botanical Gardens to build human capacity and train Seychellois workers.

“We expect our workers to go to China to follow training and Chinese experts to come here to work with us,” noted Mr Brioche, who added that the NBGF will also look into the possibility of taking part in the Beijing Expo where it can showcase Seychelles’ local products.

“This will be very good for tourism for example, as Chinese tourists will have an idea of what they can expect to see when they come on holiday to Seychelles,” stressed Mr Brioche, who noted that the NBGF also has similar working partnerships with Suncheon city in South Korea and Thailand.

Last month, while on a working visit to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Paul Adam officially presented a pair of giant tortoises from the government of Seychelles to the Guangzhou Zoo in the Guangdong province in south China.

The loan of the Seychelles giant tortoises is a symbolic gesture of the ever-growing friendship between the two nations as the tortoises are renowned for their longevity, strength and good health, which Minister Adam remarked, is symbolic of the long standing partnership that Seychelles shares with the city of Guangzhou.