SIF hosts 41st AGM on Aldabra to outline future conservation plans |19 April 2023
Photo 1: The Board of Trustees and Aldabra staff in a souvenir photo before departing Aldabra © Christina Quanz
The Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) held its 41st annual general meeting (AGM) on Aldabra atoll Unesco World Heritage Site, from April 4-9, 2023, bringing together local and overseas trustees, staff, and representatives from the Seychelles government to outline its conservation efforts and future plans for the management of the three sites it is managing, with a focus on the protection of the unique Aldabra atoll.
Highlights from the visit included a future collaboration with the Seychelles Coast Guard, and this partnership was commemorated with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two parties. This will allow SIF and the Seychelles Coast Guard to work closely together to enforce laws and regulations related to marine protection, with a focus on surveillance and patrolling of the Aldabra Special Reserve, an area that spans over 2,599 square kilometres.
Furthermore, the meeting provided a unique opportunity to initiate a review towards the revision of the SIF Decree, first established in 1979, to work towards improving the governance and management of SIF. The revision aims to strengthen the organisation’s capacity to fulfil its mandate of conserving and managing the Unesco World Heritage Sites and Fond Ferdinand.
Throughout the AGM, SIF presented its achievements over the past year, including ongoing research and project. This included a discussion on the Rat and Cat Eradication (RaCE) project, a project aimed at removing invasive rat and cat species. In the meeting, a taskforce was established to set out a road map and specifically to carry out a feasibility study on the eradication. Although SIF has carried out several successful eradications and control of invasive species, RaCE will require meticulous planning, monitoring, and evaluation to ensure that it achieves its aim. RaCE will also involve a significant investment of time and resources and requires the cooperation and support of local stakeholders.
Further discussions were had on the Aldabra House project, a project of national importance to be based on Mahé, reflecting SIF's commitment to advancing scientific research, promoting education and awareness, supporting sustainable development, and fostering collaboration between local communities, government agencies, and other stakeholders to protect and raise awareness on the unique biodiversity of Aldabra atoll.
Since the majority of the new board members had never been to Aldabra, the AGM allowed them a much-awaited visit to our most isolated site, and further cemented the Trustees’ and SIF’s commitment to preserving our unique and fragile ecosystems of the two Unesco World Heritage sites, Aldabra atoll and Vallée de Mai, as well as the Fond Ferdinand Reserve.
Closing the meeting, the chairman renewed the commitment of the Trustees to undertaking the important work ahead and stated that the holding of the AGM on Aldabra had allowed the board to witness first-hand the important work being carried out on the atoll.
“I never cease to be amazed at the number of important challenges being dealt with simultaneously by the SIF and the enthusiasm of everyone, at head office and at the three sites being managed, to ensuring that the SIF remains the leader among the organisations in the country engaged in environmental management.”
Text & photos contributed
