Environmental Policy Implementation Committee of the National Assembly visit Anse Royale mangroves   |16 February 2023

Members of the Environmental Policy Implementation Committee (Epic) of the secretariat of the National Assembly eagerly joined Terence Vel at the University of Seychelles (UniSey) for an educative tour of the campus’ wetlands and labs on Monday this week.

The Committee works on a voluntary basis and is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the National Assembly's progress in implementing different action plans to become a more sustainable and environmentally friendly Parliament.

The Committee is also tasked with implementing environmental policies, spearheading environmental projects, and educating and raising awareness of staff on how they can lead sustainable lives.

The visit began with a tour of the labs at the UniSey where the members of Epic learned more about the importance of mangrove ecosystems and the different projects currently being undertaken.

After the informative session, the Committee donned their boots and were guided through the mangrove area by Mr Vel.

For Epic it was a great opportunity to learn about different mangrove types, as they engaged in activities such as mangrove planting at the nursery and mangrove species identification.

With muddied boots and enlightened minds, the visit was considered a great success.

Last year the National Assembly adopted the wetlands area, just behind the parliamentary building, to commemorate World Wetlands Day. The Committee will continuously be working closely with Mr Vel, UniSey and other partners in order to kickstart a mangrove restoration project in the same area. 

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the Committee’s tour of UniSey’s wetlands and labs.

Contributed by the National Assembly secretariat