VICTORIA, Seychelles — To mark this year’s Town Planning Day, the Seychelles Planning Authority (SPA) organised a tree planting activity and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque at its Independence House headquarters. The plaque was unveiled by chief executive Angela Servina, alongside deputy chief executive Maria Madeleine. Town Planning Day is celebrated annually on November 8, and the national theme chosen for this year is ‘What we plan today is our heritage for tomorrow’.
During the tree planting activity, which was held outside the SPA offices, staff planted several varieties of local fruit trees such as golden apple, soursop, and pomelo. In an interview, Ms Madeleine said they chose 10 staff from different departments to take part in this activity, aimed at turning public places – especially the well-frequented Independence House compound – into a more comfortable space. ‘We planted it here so that we have a green space and we planted fruit trees that do not grow to become too large as we don’t want to affect the place,’ she elaborated.
Ms Madeleine added that SPA received additional trees from the former Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, which the authority has generously chosen to distribute to schools that took part in its public speaking competition held on Wednesday. Through this, SPA hopes to instil environmental awareness in young people and encourage schools to cultivate their own green spaces. Reflecting on the theme, the authority noted the importance of planning today for the heritage of tomorrow, a message that resonates with the country’s broader sustainable development goals.
