07 December 2021, Seychelles

The UNDP-AF funded ‘Restoring Marine Ecosystem Services by Rehabilitating Coral Reefs to meet a Changing Climate Future’ project held its second Project Steering Committee in Mahé, Seychelles on 6 December. The meeting was chaired by Ms. Amanda Serumaga, UNDP Resident Representative for Mauritius and Seychelles. Also present in the meeting were Mrs. Marie-May Muzungaile, Director General, Biodiversity Conservation and Management Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment of Seychelles and the three key activity partners namely the Marine Conservation Society of Seychelles (MCSS); Nature Seychelles; and the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority (SPGA). Stakeholders from Mauritius and Rodrigues also participated virtually.

Coral reefs are the foundation of food security and coastal livelihoods of Small Island Developing States such as the Republics of Mauritius and Seychelles, but they have been negatively impacted by human activities and climate change. Through a grant of USD 10 000 000, the Adaptation Fund is enabling the restoration of degraded reefs in Mauritius, Rodrigues and Seychelles. The project entails the establishment of coral farming and nursery facilities, the active restoration of degraded reefs, capacity building and knowledge exchange for long term sustainable coral reef restoration. 

During the meeting, the UNDP Mauritius and Seychelles project management team represented by Rachna Ramsurn, Regional Project Manager; Sevika Varaden, Finance and Procurement Assistant and Preethi Sushil Nair, National Project Coordinator, gave an overview of the progress of activities undertaken in 2021. Key technical aspects of the project were discussed, namely the annual work plan, procurement plan, budget, project risk management and regional activities for 2022. The Steering Committee was also an opportunity for Dr Rebecca Klaus, Chief Technical Advisor, to highlight the progress regarding the Regional Scientific Advisory Committee to be established under the project.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Amanda Serumaga emphasised that “Small Islands invariably recognise the importance of their blue resources and the need to restore reef habitats as a way of survival against climate change.”

Mrs Muzungaile acknowledged that “a lot of progress has been made under the project since the first project steering committee” and looks forward to seeing all the works that have been done and in those in the pipeline.

During the first year of implementation, the UNDP signed two Responsible Party Agreements with Ecosud and Shoals Rodrigues for the implementation of coral restoration activities and engagement with the community in Mauritius and Rodrigues Islands, respectively. Good progress was noted in Seychelles despite the challenges of the COVID pandemic including the establishment of 3 ocean nursery sites by Nature Seychelles, 3 by Seychelles Parks and Garden Authority and 7 by Marine Conservation Society of Seychelles. In addition, specialised marine equipment was procured to conduct current pattern analysis in Mauritius, Rodrigues and Seychelles. The steering committee meeting was followed by a technical session with the project team, Dr. Rebecca Klaus and activity partners in Seychelles. 

This event took place in the context of a series of meetings organised from the 02-07 December by the project team with various stakeholders in Seychelles. During this visit, the project team had the opportunity to see the progress of work being made at sites including the Cousin Island Special Reserve in Praslin; Curieuse Island and the St. Anne Marine Park.