Sustainable tourism workshop promotes biodiversity investment |12 May 2016

Members of the tourism trade yesterday attended a Sustainable Tourism Workshop hosted by the Ministry of Finance, Trade and the Blue Economy and the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The workshop was held at the Eden Bleu as part of the UNDP-led Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) project which was launched in Seychelles in 2014. It is aimed at providing countries with an innovative methodology for increased investment in biodiversity financing.

The main objective of the workshop was to provide a platform where the Seychelles’ tourism operators along with the ENGOs (Environmental Non-governmental Organisations) can invest more in biodiversity conservation.

While launching the workshop, the principal secretary (PS) for Environment Alain Decommarmond described it as a unique global project, saying it is the first of its kind to bring the environment and financial sectors as one and the first to think of a systematic approach and framework for biodiversity financing.

He added that while the ministry responsible for environment has an important and active role to play in its implementation, government cannot go along alone and the tourism sector has a contribution to make in conservation, which he insisted is part of the same industry that tourism actors rely on.

“We are both interdependent of each other and we must see how we can move together towards the goal of sustainable tourism,” he said.

Hoping the workshop will be the start of a long-term partnership in sustainable tourism with one common objective for Seychelles’ biodiversity and tourism industry, the PS was grateful to UNDP, the European Union (EU) and other European countries for supporting the project.

Representatives of some of those countries were present at the opening ceremony. They included the British high commissioner Caron Rohsler, First Secretary in the French Embassy Patrick Buzaud and Honorary Consul of Norway Chrystold Chetty.  

Mr Decommarmond ended by reminding that during his recent visit to Seychelles, the United Nations’ Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had commented that Seychelles has great natural beauty and had added that by succeeding to concile environment protection and development, the country is an example for the rest of the world.

Highliting that BIOFIN addresses biodiversity financing in a comprehensive manner, UNDP programme manager for Seychelles Roland Alcindor reminded that US $140 billion is needed annually to finance the worldwide projects. Underlining that the initiative is important for Seychelles where biodiversity should go hand in hand with tourism as the pillar of the economy, he reminded that the country was among the first to be involved in the project.

“Tourism being the mainstay of the Seychelles economy, I am pleased to see that BIOFIN is being well integrated into the various sectors, emphasising on the need to continue investing in the biodiversity of the islands,” he said.

During yesterday’s working session, delegates went through a review of BIOFIN’s policy and expenditure and had an overview of the local environmental policies, strategies, legislature as well as biosecurity systems.

They were also updated on biodiversity conservation experiences such as the local national park management system and hotels’ and  private Islands’ environmental programmes.

They finally evaluated access to funding through for example public private partnerships (PPPs) and corporate responsibility, as well as Incentives offered by government to encourage those.