Executive Summary
PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
GEF COUNCIL Work Program SUBMISSION
Financing Plan (US$)GEF Project/Component
Project / 3,700,000
PDF A
PDF B / 300,000
PDF C
Sub-Total GEF
/ 4,000,000Co-financing*
UNDPGovernment / 3,044,440
Multilateral Donors / 1,500,000
Private Sector / 1,905,980
Other:
Environmental NGOS / 1,142, 940
Sub-Total Co-financing: / 7,593,360
Total Project Financing: / 11,293,360
Financing for Associated Activities If Any: US$ 14,100,000
Leveraged Resources If Any:
Agency’s Project ID: 2053
GEFSEC Project ID: 1620
Country: Republic of Seychelles
Project Title: Mainstreaming Biodiversity Management into Production Sector Activities
GEF Agency: UNDP
Other Executing Agency(ies): Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources
Duration: 5 Years
GEF Focal Area: Biodiversity
GEF Operational Program: 2: Marine, Coastal and Freshwater Ecosystems
GEF Strategic Priority: BD-2 Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Production Landscapes and Sea Scapes
Pipeline Entry Date: 12-06-2003
Estimated Starting Date: January 2007
IA Fee: US$ 360,000
Contribution to Key Indicators of the Business Plan:
Increase in production area under effective conservation management: EOP Target: 41,400km2
Record of endorsement on behalf of the GOVERNMENT :
Mr Claude Morel, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Date: 09-03-2006
Approved on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme. This proposal has been prepared in accordance with GEF policies and procedures and meets the standards of the GEF Project Review Criteria for work program inclusion.Yannick Glemarec
Deputy Executive Coordinator / Project Contact Person
Date: May 3, 2006 / Nik Sekhran, Regional Coordinator UNDP/GEF Pretoria, South Africa Tel: (27) 12 354 8131
1
Executive Summary
Project SummarY
Project rationale, objective, outcomes, and outputs/activities.
Summary: Isolated from the mainland continents for 65 million years, the fauna and flora of the Seychelles has evolved into unique forms. The archipelago is a repository of globally important terrestrial and marine biodiversity. Seychelles’ biodiversity endowment is relatively intact compared to that of many other small islands, but development pressures are gradually increasing. The country’s biodiversity is at risk from a variety of human induced pressures linked to production activities, the most significant of which are tourism and fisheries. The major threats stem from localised overfishing, tourism development and associated construction of physical infrastructure. Past efforts at biodiversity conservation have focused on creating protected areas, eradicating invasive alien species from small island environments, and restoring island ecosystems. The country is an acknowledged leader in many of these endeavours. However, these initiatives have not effectively addressed the pressures imposed on biodiversity by production activities themselves. This project departs from past conservation strategies by taking a sector-based approach that seeks to integrate biodiversity conservation into the day-to-day operations of these sectors. This will be achieved by lifting barriers to integration, which include capacity deficits at the systemic and institutional levels, resource tenure and access rights, and insufficient know-how for management. The project will: a) create enabling conditions for mainstreaming biodiversity management into cross- sectoral planning; b) develop methods and means for integrating biodiversity into artisanal fisheries management, and; c) make biodiversity conservation a routine part of operations in the tourism sector. Activities have been designed with the full involvement of stakeholders.
Environment Context: The Seychelles comprises a total of 155 islands, located in the Western Indian Ocean between 3 and 10 degrees south of the equator and between longitude 46 and 57 degrees east. It has a landmass of 455 square kilometres, and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.374 million square kilometres. 42 islands are of granitic origin (these are known as the ‘Inner’ Islands) and the rest are coralline (known as the ‘Outer’ Islands). The main terrestrial habitats of the granitic islands are: a) beach and dune vegetation; b) lowland and coastal forests up to 200-300m; c) intermediate forests from 200 to 500m altitude; d) granite inselbergs or “glacis” outcroppings, and; e) mountain mist forests over 400-500m. The coralline islands are characterized by a mixed scrub vegetation and the Pemphis thicket type where sea water penetrates the limestone. The coastal and marine habitats include a variety of wetland types, rocky shores and sandy shores, and 1,690 km2 of coral reefs, which include: a) fringing reefs; b) small atolls, and; c) platform reefs.
Global Significance of Biodiversity: Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands Region, to which Seychelles belongs, has been classified as one of the world’s “hottest biodiversity hot spots”. The unique biodiversity of Seychelles has developed largely because of its long history of geological isolation, allowing evolution to follow its own course in relative isolation from that on the continental land masses. The rate of terrestrial endemism is particularly high on the granitic islands. The granitic islands are a repository of over 80 endemic species of flowering plants, 10 endemic species of ferns and 62 endemic species of bryophytes. The coralline islands are small, flat and geologically much younger. While still diverse, they do not harbour the same degree of species endemism as the granitic islands. The marine ecosystems of Seychelles are much less well known and documented. However, recent surveys have documented an exceptional level of marine biodiversity. The position of Seychelles in the central southwest Indian Ocean ensures that these islands act as stepping-stones for marine dispersal between the eastern Indian Ocean/western Pacific and western Indian Ocean. Additional information on the biodiversity heritage is provided in Sections 1.A.1/2 of the Project Document.
Socio-Economic Profile: 90% of the population of 81,200 (2002 census) live on the main island of Mahé. Most of the physical development is concentrated on the narrow coastal plains of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. Since 1971, the economy has been transformed from a quasi mono-crop agricultural economy (based on cinnamon and copra) to a dual economy heavily dependent on tourism and fishing, and highly vulnerable to external factors. The Seychelles faces the typical constraints of a SIDS, with its small land area and population, remoteness from major markets, limited natural resources and environmental vulnerability. Its most important assets are the truly rare beauty of the environment, and a significant fishery resource, which comprises pelagic and various coastal stocks. Biodiversity underpins most economic activities, especially the two main sectors of fisheries and tourism. The loss of biodiversity could have major, negative economic impacts for the country.
Threats to Biodiversity: Historical records indicate that the islands were originally covered by dense forests, supporting large populations of birds and reptiles. Marked changes to the natural environment have taken place over the past 235 years, following human colonisation of the main granitic islands. The major threats to biodiversity have historically been associated with production activities and this continues to be true today. Modern day threats to biodiversity are increasingly associated with artisanal fisheries, and tourism. Physical development and expansion of infrastructure pose threats by leading to the clearance and fragmentation of habitats, while tourist movements amplify the risks of introduction of invasive alien species at new developments. Marine biodiversity is threatened by localized overfishing and by localized pollution and sedimentation. The levels of threats on marine biodiversity are generally less than in most of the rest of the world. However, global climate change poses an as yet unquantified threat to marine biodiversity. The principle threats to biodiversity and their underlying root causes are elaborated in Annex 1 of the Project Document.
Sector Profiles: Sector Structure and Ecological Impacts
Artisanal fisheries are of great importance in terms of providing food security, employment and cultural identity. Nearly 60% of a total of 1750 artisanal fishers are employed in the demersal line fishery that exploits the waters of the Mahé and Amirantes Plateaux. Another 20% of fishers are employed in the trap fishery that exploits the resources of the near-shore reef ecosystems. Other artisanal fisheries are the artisanal net fishery, the octopus, lobster and crab fisheries, the sea cucumber fisheries and the recreational sports fishery. All artisanal fisheries have traditionally been open access, although some level of informal resource partitioning has evolved at the community level. Although the total artisanal catch has held quite steady for the past 20 years, the catch per unit effort (CPUE) has fallen for most artisanal fisheries in the last ten years, a sign that localized overfishing is becoming a problem. This is having knock-on impacts on biodiversity. Removal of species, or overfishing of certain species has inter-specific effects within the ecosystem and poses a serious threat to ecosystem functioning and resilience. Shifts in reef fish communities have occurred, e.g. there is strong evidence that increased bio-erosion of corals by black-spined urchins is due to the removal of keystone predators by fishing. Phase shifts on reefs, from coral to algal communities, is a real threat to reef biodiversity, especially where selective removal of herbivorous reef fish occurs (i.e. areas heavily targeted by trap fishers).
Tourism has grown very rapidly from next to nothing prior to the construction of an international airport in 1971 up to 120,765 international tourist arrivals in 2004. The sector has 152 hotels with some 5,000 beds. It contributes 19% to GDP and is responsible for 20% of national employment and for 30% of foreign exchange earnings. Tourism impacts on biodiversity in three main ways; a) destruction of habitats and erosion/sedimentation of sensitive areas resulting from development siting and construction; b) pollution from tourism operations; c) effects of tourism numbers (trampling of reefs, overharvesting); and d) providing pathways for the spread of invasive alien species into undisturbed areas. The Seychelles tourism industry is now positioned for a major expansion of capacity, with most new investments being made in the high-end portion of the sector. Some 2000 new hotel beds are under construction or planned (a 40 % increase) over the period 2006-08, especially on Mahé. The current tourism policy document, Vision 21, sets the objective of positioning Seychelles as an exclusive and high quality visitor destination—capitalising on its diverse natural environment.
Institutional Context: The Department of Environment (DOE), under the Ministry of Environment & Natural Resources (MENR), has prime responsibility for environmental management. The Department of Natural Resources (DONR) in MENR is responsible for Agriculture and Fisheries. MENR is parent ministry to the parastatal Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) that is responsible for managing industrial and artisanal fisheries. The Ministry of Land Use and Habitat (MLUH) is directly responsible for oversight of land and infrastructure development, for land use planning and building applications, etc. The cross-sectoral Planning Authority (PA) is mandated to prepare land use plans and approve planning applications. The Ministry of Economic Planning and Employment (MEPE) is responsible for creating a suitable macro-economic enabling environment for the production sectors. The Department of Tourism (DOT) is responsible for policy formulation and the parastatal Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) for tourism promotion / marketing. Seychelles has a vibrant environmental NGO community that pursues a range of conservation activities and that has been especially successful in developing working partnerships with tourism operators for IAS eradication and habitat restoration on small islands. In the private sector, there are several industry associations that represent the interest of the sectors, e.g. the Fishermens’ Boat Owners Association (FBOA), Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA) and the private sector body, the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industries (SCCI).
Policy Context: There is a strong policy framework for environmental management and for biodiversity conservation in the Seychelles. Environmental concerns are embedded in the Seychelles’ constitution and guided by rolling Environment Management Plans (EMPS). EMPS 2000 – 2010 stresses the need to integrate environment management concerns into the activities of other development sectors. The Plan covers ten thematic areas covering all major social and economic sectors, which include: Land Use; Fisheries and Marine Resources; Tourism; Environmental Economics; and Regulatory, Policy and Institutional Mechanisms. Recognition has grown of the needs and opportunities for mainstreaming biodiversity conservation objectives into the day-to-day operations of biodiversity-dependent production sectors. Clear opportunities have been identified for a) mobilising private sector investments in the co-management of ecologically sensitive areas; b) directly involving fishers in artisanal fisheries management; and c) increasing the role of tourism operators in enhancing the environmental sustainability of the industry. However, although such mainstreaming objectives are reflected in GOS strategies, little progress has been made in implementation.
GEF Expected Achievements / Reasons for Involvement
The Baseline is the “business-as-usual” scenario that would take place during the next six years in the absence of the planned project, and which are supportive of efforts to mainstream biodiversity management into production sector activities. Baseline activities are summarised in Table 11 of the Project Document. In a business-as-usual situation, a range of activities would be undertaken that would have positive impacts on biodiversity, however these will not suffice to arrest the threats to biodiversity posed by production activities.
Enabling conditions. The baseline situation is typified by numerous but fragmented efforts to manage the natural environment. However, these would be compromised, to a greater or lesser extent, by weak enabling conditions. Biodiversity inventories are currently incomplete, and the coverage of monitoring efforts is patchy. What data that does exist would not be readily accessible as data management systems are poorly constructed. The land use planning legislation is also weak, in that it does not provide for effective measures to integrate biodiversity management priorities into decision-making systems. There is a paucity of capacity for strategic planning—a weakness amplified by the inadequacy of systems for explicitly involving civil society and private sector entities in planning and monitoring investment activities. Taken together, these gaps are compromising planning efforts, as needed to ensure that physical infrastructure is designed, located and constructed to minimise negative externalities. A suite of measures is needed to create an effective enabling environment for the pursuit of biodiversity management objectives within production landscapes and sectors. A strong legislative framework is needed to facilitate the development of land use and sector plans that properly integrate biodiversity conservation priorities. Capacities will need to be installed to collect, store and analyse biodiversity data in order to define conservation priorities and facilitate integrated planning processes. Furthermore, capacities for participatory land use planning and multi criteria decision making involving major stakeholders will need to be developed to facilitate biodiversity ‘mainstreaming’ within planning processes.