US embassy awards $5000 grant to PCA to restore Tea Tavern site |22 September 2021
Ms Debaere and Mr Chong-Seng after signing the MoU (Photo: Thomas Meriton)
The United State (US) embassy has awarded $5000 as Regional Environment Officers (REO) Grant to the Plant Conservation Action Group (PCA) in Seychelles, to assist the organisation in its efforts to carry out restoration works at the Tea Tavern site.
During a brief ceremony held yesterday morning at the History Museum, chief executive of PCA, Lindsay Chong-Seng, was joined by US Chargée d’Affaires Judes E. Debaere to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the project, which is expected to be completed by December 2022.
As explained by Mr Chong-Seng, PCA commenced the restoration activities in September this year, to remove invasive vegetation, and plant native species.
The project is in line with the Ministry of Environment’s national programme to eradicate invasive plants species in Seychelles.
“We are thrilled to partner on this project with PCA. The US embassy and PCA have a shared goal of advancing the conservation, resilience, and sustainable management of eco-systems in Seychelles. We also share the same objective to protect the environment by promoting good governance, and strengthening institutional capacity,” said Ms Debaere.
“The US embassy grant will help PCA restore the area and consolidate the nature trail path. The grant will also allow PCA to work towards a MoU with the newly formed Seychelles Gardens and Parks Authority (SGPA) for the sustainable management of areas rich in endemic flora. This project has been made possible by the US Department of States Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs,” Ms Debaere stated.
With the funds, the project which officially kicked off in 2010 with a researcher and which proved that efforts to plant native species and remove invasive plants is possible, will get a much needed boost.
“Generally, when there are invasive plants in an ecosystem like Seychelles, it would appear that local species grow slower, they bear bigger seeds such as the coco de mer, whereas the invasive species such as ‘Albizia’ and ‘Bwa Zonn’, their mechanisms to spread seeds are much higher, so they dominate,” Ms Debaere noted.
“We have learned three key lessons which are that it is costly and that we cannot simply come in and tackle it and have the problem solved. It is a long-lasting problem and requires that we come back to it. We need to form persons for a targeted approach, and despite all this, there is some collateral damage, which is to say that some of the plants that you are trying to save also die,” Mr Chong-Seng noted.
By removing invasive species, the pollination network will greatly improve, Mr Chong-Seng added.
He also hopes that more Seychellois visit the area and appreciate the stunning views and natural beauty.
Upon the completion of the project in December, PCA hopes that other partner organisations, such as the Port Glaud community and Seventh Day Adventist Church, adopt the site and maintain the activities to promote endemic flora.
The site is a mini-trail and has a fantastic viewpoint, with pitcher plants and signage on site, some of which also need to be replaced through the project.
Over the past five years, the programme has provided over $1 million through over 100 grants awards to projects that address environmental and public health issues within an affected community, while advancing environment, science, and technology and health strategic priorities.
U.S embassies mainly award these projects to local or community-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which focus on areas such as promotion of improved air and water quality, combating wildlife trafficking, promoting the use of clean environmental technology and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, among others.
Laura Pillay