Environment and Energy Minister Rolph Payet’s message on International Day of Biodiversity |23 May 2014

‘Island Biodiversity’ theme relevant to Seychelles

Today the world commemorates the International Day of Biodiversity and in his message, Environment and Energy Minister Rolph Payet has said that the theme of ‘Island Biodiversity’ is especially relevant to the Seychelles.

The minister’s message reads:

“As a small island developing state, the 2014 international day for Biodiversity theme of ‘Island Biodiversity’ is especially relevant to the Seychelles, as a leader in conservation.

“Islands and their surrounding near-shore marine areas constitute unique ecosystems often comprising many plants and animal species that are endemic, found nowhere else on Earth. The legacy of a unique evolutionary history, these ecosystems are irreplaceable treasures. They are also key to the livelihood, economy, well-being and cultural identity of 600 million islanders – one-tenth of the world’s population.

“Seychelles would not be the island paradise without its unique and spectacular beauty. We owe our tourism industry to its environment. We also owe our livelihood, our fisheries to its abundance in tropical food and fish. Our health, our water is all possible through the extensive forests we have preserved for this and future generations. Sadly with the pressure of development and climate change we need to strive for more sustainability in our actions. It is the moral duty of every Seychellois, every business and every tourism developer to respect and care for our unique biodiversity.

“While islands constitute less than 5% of the Earth’s landmass they provide habitat for 40% of all listed critically endangered and endangered species. In Seychelles we have the highest density of endemic lizards per square metre than anywhere in the world, and the largest population of wild giant tortoises in the world. These credentials, together with the millions of birds and marine mammals that thrive freely in our territory, make Seychelles a very unique place on earth. Let us all be proud of what we have inherited.

“I close with a quote from the secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon: ‘On this International Day, let us commit to adopting, adapting and scaling up best practices so we can protect fragile ecosystems for the benefit of all the islanders – and indeed people everywhere – who depend on them’.”