VICTORIA, Seychelles — Seychelles has been commended for its strong efforts and commitment towards coral reef restoration within the Curieuse marine park, and must continue in this direction. The statement was made on Monday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) environment team leader for Mauritius and Seychelles, Jean Lindsay Azie, after visiting coral restoration sites within the Curieuse marine park.
Mr Azie is a member of the regional UNDP coral reef restoration project management team on a mission this week in Seychelles, which includes site visits to coral restoration sites, and monitoring facilities managed by the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority (SPGA) to assess progress, identify challenges, and understand the project’s operational context within the Curieuse Marine Park. ‘We are satisfied with the progress achieved so far and Seychelles is doing an excellent job. During my visit to the Curieuse marine park this time, I noticed a clear difference from my previous visit earlier this year,’ he shared.
‘Previously, we saw more corals in the nurseries, but today, we observed that the team has started transplanting corals from the nurseries back into the marine park’s ecosystem. This is an important step that aligns closely with the objectives of the regional project we are carrying out across Seychelles, Mauritius, and Rodrigues. The project is being well executed in Seychelles by the SPGA. We will be sharing our experiences with our regional partners, and in turn, they will share their own lessons with Seychelles.’ Mr Azie noted that the regional project, which began around 2018–2019, continues to deliver important lessons for the protection of coral reef ecosystems in the western Indian Ocean.
