ICS celebrates Aride centre opening |24 October 2005

Sponsored by Seychelles Breweries Limited (SBL) and its parent company Diageo the new visitors' centre and accompanying projects cost over R500,000, with 75 percent of the funds provided by Diageo.

Before the ribbon was cut to open the centre, by the Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Ronny Jumeau and the chairman of SBL David Hampshire, the head of ICS Adrian Skerrett described the island as having always been a centre for science.

"We have monthly and annual reports going back to 1983 and the data, that sometimes might have seemed of a trivial nature, is now becoming extremely important in indicating trends, not just in Aride but with implications far beyond our borders," he said.

In addition to the new building, constructed by Laxmanbai and designed by Danielle Morel at a reduced cost, the SBL/Diageo funding is also being used for an updated marketing campaign for the island, a utilities building which will boost the reserve's limited electricity and water supplies and a laboratory for use by the islands staff and visiting researchers.

"The wealth of data will now be added to considerably by the work we are now able to perform at the Aride island conservation centre," said Mr Skerrett.

In addition to thanking SBL and Diageo for their backing of the new centre the ICS Chair also thanked the government for its support of the project.

In reply Minister Jumeau described the opening of the centre a milestone in the government/NGO/private sector partnership.

"Today's milestone is made all the more important in that this partnership is proving that even on such small islands as Seychelles such partnerships can and do work."

The minister also praised the work being done on Aride as helping to spread knowledge of the importance of conservation work.

"A clear understanding of the work we are all doing to promote and protect the environment and rare and endangered species is extremely important if we want the population at large to come on board," he said.

Aride currently attracts around 1,800 foreign visitors per year, who pay between 20 and 30 Euros to tour the island. Seychellois can visit the island for free.

But despite the income from visitors Mr Skerrett said that the island is not financially self sustaining.

"We are not covering our costs and that gap is made up from a grant from the Cadbury Trust (which bought the island and gave it to conservation). We have also built up an endowment fund and we live off the interest on that, which is currently held by the Royal Society for Wildlife Trusts."

After the invited guest had toured the island's new facilities Mr Skerrett explained the impact it will have on conservation work.

"It will make it much easier to do what we've been doing all along. This provides a first class facility for staff and we hope to encourage research staff to visit and so earn money for the island, so we can keep building on what we are already doing."

Retiring Seychelles Breweries chairman Hampshire said that the brewery's backing of the ICS project was, "part of being part of Seychelles. We are not looking for a return, we don't expect people to drink more beer because of it."

The ICS funding follows on from SBL support for the La Verve Reserve on La Digue and the SCMRT fore runner, the Shoals of Capricorn.

And Mr Hampshire said that further charity backing could be provided by SBL.

"We look at each project on its own, if the right project comes up there is a chance we will do something."