On March 26 the Government of Seychelles announced a landmark achievement—that it will protect 30 percent of its ocean territory—at 410,000 square kilometres, it’s an area larger than Germany.

Increasing the country’s marine protection from just 0.04 percent of its Exclusive Economic Zone means that a major portion of the natural world will be fully or significantly safeguarded to encourage sustainable development and to adapt to the effects of climate change.

The ocean is changing physically, chemically, and biologically as overfishing, pollution, climate change, and the cumulative impacts of human activity take their toll.

The human, economic, and natural capital costs are increasingly evident and urgent.

The opportunities to guide development that respects, or better still, restores, ocean health are enormous, as are the opportunities for creating jobs, income, and growth. Reciprocally, the risks of inaction are significant, both to the ocean and to our own well-being. 

For the Outer Islands, increased tourism development, although limited so far to a few islands, has yielded financial benefits. But there have been some negative environmental impacts in terms of habitat transformation, erosion and sedimentation, and increased demand for fish.

Fishing—both legal and illegal—has affected a number of species in the Outer Islands, particularly sharks, sea turtles, and sea cucumbers.

The Protected Area Policy set ambitious targets to protect at least 50 percent of its terrestrial area and 30 percent of its marine environment. Previously the country’s protected area system was primarily in the Inner Islands and did not include the vast Outer Islands.

They constitute more than 80 percent of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone and make up more than half of the number of islands within the archipelago. They include nine of the twenty Important Bird Areas of Seychelles.

To enhance biodiversity conservation, the project supports four new protected areas encompassing both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Tourism is only viable in the Outer Islands if the area is protected, but this new income stream has the potential to increase pressure on the island while it provides funds for conservation. Management of such tourism requires foresight and careful planning.

"No one can argue against the importance of safeguarding our ocean. However, our ability to put into practice the true essence of sustainability and conservation is continuously being tested. Finding the balance would involve taking measures which may be unpopular today but lifesaving tomorrow," says Island Conservation Society CEO Michelle Murray.