Building Resilience: Seychelles

Transcription

1 12 Building Resilience: Seychelles GENERAL INFORMATION Implementing Institution: Nature Seychelles Head: Nirmal Jivan Shah (Chief Executive) Details of Institution: Address: Nature Seychelles, Centre for Environment and Education, P.O. Box 1310, Roche Caiman, Mahe, Seychelles Tel.: (+248) Fax: (+248) Website: Implementation Period: The project began in 1999 and efforts are continuing. Costs: To date, total costs amount to about US$500,000 and the only donor contributions have been a solar power system and funds for repairs to infrastructure for visitors and staff. 165

2 166 VOLUME 12: EXAMPLES OF NATURAL DISASTER MITIGATION IN SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES S U M M A R Y Over the past 35 years, Cousin Island has become the best-restored island in the Seychelles, with thick native forest covering the entire island. This has helped to mitigate erosion, landslides and fires. Since 1999, the management of Cousin Island Special Reserve has taken disaster mitigation seriously by implementing a programme for emergency planning, preparedness and response. Emergencymindedness on Cousin Island includes maintaining boats and engines in top condition and maintaining an inventory of replacement parts, removing potential hazards, trimming trees near trails and infrastructure, fireproofing fuel stores with bunding and siting buildings beyond the high-water mark. Cousin Island is also covered by various forms of insurance, including thirdparty liability, staff disability or death, and damage to buildings, the hulls of boats and mooring buoys. In addition, staff members have received training in first aid in case of accidents as well as training in firefighting and safety at sea. A health and safety manual is readily accessible on the island and all staff members carry mobile telephones. A designated helicopter landing pad is available for emergency evacuations and special tools are on hand for helicopter-related accidents. Cousin Island has also established a small fund to deal with emergency situations. Among the lessons learned is that, on remote islands such as Cousin, it is wise to disaster proof protected areas by thinking ahead as such areas could be hit by disasters and become inaccessible for some time. B A C K G R O U N D A N D J U S T I F I C AT I O N Cousin Island is a granitic island in the Seychelles (fig. 1). It became one of the world s first sea and island reserves when Birdlife International purchased it in First awarded the status of nature reserve in 1968, it was given further protection when it was designated a special reserve in The transformation of the island from an ecologically impoverished and heavily exploited coconut plantation to a fully restored island has taken place through a policy of habitat restoration since 1968 (fig. 2). BIRD N E COUSIN DENIS MAHÉ Aride Cousine Praslin Silhouette 4 30 S AFRICA SEYCHELLES LA DIGUE FREGATE 0 km 50 Figure 1 Cousin Island, located off the west coast of Praslin Island in the northern part of the Seychelles archipelago.

3 Building Resilience: Seychelles 167 Figure 2 Aerial view of Cousin Island showing the restored natural vegetation and the pristine beaches, which are now the most important breeding site for hawksbill turtles in the western Indian Ocean. Picture courtesy of David Richardson. As a result, conservation on Cousin Island has enjoyed great success, with a 300-per cent increase in the population of Seychelles warblers, once on the brink of extinction (fig. 3); the successful introduction of the Seychelles magpie robin (fig. 4); significant augmentation of the population of the Seychelles fody, a small olive-brown bird related to the weaver birds; and a dramatic increase in the numbers of nesting hawksbill turtles. The island is now the most important breeding site for hawksbill turtles in the western Indian Ocean. About 250,000 individuals of seven species of seabird also breed on the island. In addition, published studies reveal that Cousin Island reefs are home to a higher biomass of fish compared to reefs in other marine protected areas around granitic islands. Cousin Island is free of cats, rats and mice, the former two being among the major causes of the demise of native fauna on other islands. Taking these factors into account, Cousin Island is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot in the region. Its conservation programmes have not only enhanced biodiversity on the island itself but, by translocating threatened birds to other suitable sites, they have also led to Cousin Island acting as a nursery for endangered species. Figure 3 The Seychelles warbler, once on the brink of extinction, now thrives on Cousin Island. Picture courtesy of Will Meinderts. Figure 4 The Seychelles magpie robin, one of the world s rarest birds, now thrives on Cousin Island. Picture courtesy of Martin Harvey.

4 168 VOLUME 12: EXAMPLES OF NATURAL DISASTER MITIGATION IN SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES The island attracts international tourists who pay to view the unique wildlife. Initially, although those responsible for managing the island had put in place very successful conservation programmes, health and safety aspects as well as emergency planning and preparedness were neglected. This missing link in management is of critical importance because both biodiversity and human lives, particularly those of foreign tourists and staff, need to be safeguarded from accidents and disasters. D E S C R I P T I O N Since 1999, the managers of Cousin Island have implemented a series of programmes designed to mitigate accidents and disasters. Among the potential emergency events taken into consideration are boat accidents; tree falls; erosion of beaches and hillsides; fires; climate change and extreme weather, including tropical cyclones and storm surges; and the introduction of alien species that could destroy the rare biodiversity of the island. A new Management Plan for Cousin Island, including emergency planning, preparedness and response, was drawn up by the staff of Nature Seychelles, a national non-governmental organization, in 1999 (a conservation plan for the island has been in place since 1975). Run by Nature Seychelles, the Plan is updated or substantially rewritten every five years with input contributed by staff from the island as well as local and international partners. Aims have changed slightly over the period of existence of the Plan, but the basic objectives that were outlined in 1975 and revised in 1999 have stayed the same conservation, education and research, with conservation prevalent in any conflict of interest and remain valid today. The current Plan outlines the vision for Cousin Island Special Reserve to be widely acclaimed as the best-managed small island protected area in the world. Its current goal is to do this through significant achievement in the fields of natural heritage management, visitor management and public access, communication of reserve values and business management and to maintain progress through adaptive management practice, reviewed by continuous performance assessment. Operating costs are financed through eco-tourism revenues although donors are sought for specific capital projects. Past donors have included Seacology for buoys, the United States Embassy Self Help Grant for repairs to visitor infrastructure and the Dutch Trust Fund for the Conservation of Biodiversity in the Seychelles for the purchase of solar equipment. It should be noted that donor support to the Seychelles in general has declined significantly over the past 15 years. As part of the Plan, the following activities relevant to emergency planning, preparedness and response have taken place.

5 Building Resilience: Seychelles 169 M I T I G AT I O N T H R O U G H R E F O R E S TAT I O N Over a period of 35 years, Cousin Island has become the best-restored island in the Seychelles, with thick native forest covering the entire island. Despite its small size, the island boasts a diversity and abundance of species and habitats. The plateau area has been transformed from a monoculture of coconuts and is now dominated by mapou (Pisonia grandis, family Nyctaginaceae), Indian mulberry (Morinda citrifolia, family Rubiaceae) and bwa sousouri (Ochrosia oppositifolia, family Apocynaceae). Mapou, as well as the other trees mentioned above, are native to small, seabird-dominated islands such as Cousin. Once restoration has begun, seabirds start seeding mapou naturally because the seeds stick to their wing feathers. In addition, wetland areas are home to various species of mangrove. The aim of the restoration was to increase the habitats available for rare fauna such as birds (figs. 3 and 4). Since 1999, the forest has also been maintained as the best protection against fires and landslides. A programme of replanting is also being prepared for the reforestation of the granite hillside. This will further enhance the resilience of the island. As a small island with sandy beaches, Cousin Island is vulnerable to coastal erosion caused by extreme weather events as well as long-term climate change. The coastal vegetation that was originally left to develop on its own has been further enhanced since 1999 with the felling of the alien tree known locally as sed (Casuarina equestifolia, the Australian pine or horsetail tree, family Casuarinaceae), which discourages other plants from growing under and around it. The propagation of indigenous coastal vegetation such as vouloutye (Scaevola sericea, family Goodeniaceae, a dense, spreading shrub that typically grows up to a height of one metre) and bwa matlo (Suriana maritima, family Surianaceae) has been encouraged. No sand or other beach materials are removed and, unlike some other beaches in the Seychelles, no cleaning of beaches is undertaken. In addition, a strict policy of not collecting shells and other beached materials is in force and buildings have been moved back at least 20 metres beyond the high-water mark. C O N T R O L O F A L I E N S P E C I E S, P E S T S A N D D I S E A S E S Today, Cousin Island is one of the few islands free of cats, mice and rats, which, among them, have caused the demise of the native fauna on many other islands. It is extremely important to keep the island free of such mammalian predators but also to maintain a strict quarantine policy in general since introduced pests could cause untold damage or even destroy the biodiversity characteristics of the island, thus creating a natural disaster of incalculable proportions. In 1999, quarantine measures were put in place. To prevent the accidental introduction of rats and other pests, boats are moored offshore and visitors are transferred to a second boat for transport to the island (fig. 5). No boats other than those belonging to the reserve are

6 170 VOLUME 12: EXAMPLES OF NATURAL DISASTER MITIGATION IN SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES allowed to land or to moor offshore overnight. With regard to staff, all large crates or luggage must be unpacked before embarking on the boat to Cousin Island. Food must be placed in sealed plastic containers and no large items of cargo that could potentially harbour alien species are allowed on the island. In addition, staff are not allowed to take any live plant materials, soil or seeds to the island. EMERGENCY- M I N D E D N E S S Emergency-mindedness is an active process adopted by the management of Cousin Island for planning ahead to prevent disasters. The philosophy on Cousin Island includes maintaining boats and engines in top condition and maintaining an inventory of replacement parts. To this end, a maintenance schedule for boats and their engines has been put in place and boats are inspected annually by an independent assessor. In addition, all potential hazards are removed, and trees near paths and infrastructure are kept trimmed. A building maintenance schedule has also been prepared and is implemented on an annual basis. Mooring buoys are in place and maintained, and a contract has been awarded to a private company to inspect and service the buoys. A health and safety plan was introduced in 2003 and an incident form has been introduced so that all accidents and steps taken are reported. F I R E-PROOFING On a small island such as Cousin Island, the risk of fire is great. During the dry season, bush fires on neighbouring Praslin Island are common. Apart from maintaining a resilient native forest, as described earlier, the main factor that has been introduced to reduce the risk of fires was to phase out the use of kerosene cookers and open fires. The transport, storage and use of this volatile fuel were deemed to be too risky. As of 2000, only liquid petroleum gas cookers are used on the island. In 2001, a US$30,000 donor-funded project was implemented whereby all the electricity requirements of the island, including lights, computers, water pumps, television sets and radio, now run on solar Figure 5 Staff of the Cousin Island reserve helping to return visitors to their boats after a guided tour of the island. As part of the quarantine restrictions designed to protect the island s biodiversity from invasive species, only boats belonging to the reserve are allowed to land. Picture courtesy of Jeff Watson.

7 Building Resilience: Seychelles 171 power. The generator is still maintained in case of emergencies but the fuel store has been downsized, bunded and moved away from buildings. No barbecues or fires are allowed on the island and smoking has been banned. In addition, fire extinguishers that are inspected and serviced regularly by a private company are available in all main buildings. I N S U R A N C E Through various investigations and consultations, it was found that Cousin Island required a suite of insurance covers where previously there had been none. Public liability cover, initially put in place in 1999, was upgraded in 2002 to include third-party staff and the personal effects of guests. Separate insurance is in place to cover staff in cases of disability or death. Buildings are also insured against minor and major disasters. Special marine hull cover has been taken out for the boats. There is also cover for mooring buoys for third-party liability. However, the insurance industry in the Seychelles is not as fully developed as that in other countries; therefore, options that may be used in similar situations elsewhere are not available there. E M E R G E N C Y L A N D I N G/ M E E T I N G P O I N T S An emergency meeting point has been designated. In 2004, a helicopter landing pad was constructed. This has been approved by the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DCA), the civil aviation authorities of the Seychelles, for various uses, including medical and other types of evacuations. Special tools, such as a metal cutter and hooks for use in case of accidents, have been purchased, as required by the DCA. Staff have also been trained by the DCA to handle accidents. D I S A S T E R F U N D A small fund of about US$10,000 has been established to deal with emergency situations. The fund was first used in October 2002 when the island was severely affected by a tropical depression, extremely unusual for that time of year, which caused a phenomenon that meteorologists said could have easily developed into a cyclone. Several hundred trees were blown down, infrastructure was damaged and all the island paths were blocked. The island had to be closed to public access for three weeks. The fund covered the cost of the clearing and cleaning-up operations and some repairs. C A PA C I T Y D E V E L O P M E N T Based on the annual work programme, training is provided to staff on a regular basis. In the context of emergency planning and implementation, first-aid training is provided by the Red Cross Society, fire-fighting training is provided by the fire brigade and the Department of Forestry in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, and training in safety at sea is provided by the Harbour Master s Office in the Ministry of Tourism and Transport. The DCA also provides emergency training to deal with helicopter accidents.

8 172 VOLUME 12: EXAMPLES OF NATURAL DISASTER MITIGATION IN SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES Despite these programmes, the opportunity for training is very limited in the Seychelles because of the small size of the country and the lack of specialized skills and trainers. As a result, a novel capacity-building programme known as the Experience Xchange Programme (EXP) has been initiated whereby experienced wardens and conservation officers from protected areas in other parts of the world are invited to spend up to three months working with Nature Seychelles staff on Cousin Island. I M P R O V E M E N T O F C O M M U N I C AT I O N L I N K S Prior to 1999, there was only one telephone on Cousin Island, located in the manager s house. Since 1999, the use of walkie-talkies and other wireless communication systems has been assessed but they have been found not to be effective. The most cost-effective and feasible option was to provide the manager with a heavy-duty mobile phone for official use. An additional facility has also been installed for ; fax, however, was found not to be technically possible. Loans have been provided to other staff so that they can purchase their own mobile phones. All staff mobile phones are on a closed user group, which means that a certain number of calls between staff are free. The feasibility of broadband access is currently being investigated. Following the introduction of the Management Plan in 1999, a process of formulating annual work programmes with the staff was implemented in These meetings are used to discuss progress, or lack thereof; the reasons behind such forward or backward steps; and new activities to be undertaken. A monthly report from the manager to Nature Seychelles directors, a monthly staff meeting and quarterly senior management meetings have also been introduced to monitor and evaluate the situation continuously. P AT E N T I N G A N D C O M M E R C I A L I Z AT I O N The programme for emergency planning, preparedness and response and the vast improvement in infrastructure since 1998 have benefited the private-sector operators bringing tourists to Cousin Island. These operators have appreciated the improvements and attention to health and safety. In 2004, these improvements as well as others were used as justification to increase the entry fee to the reserve. No adverse comments relating to this increased fee have been received from any tour operator. P A R T N E R S H I P S BirdLife International ( and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ( United Kingdom, have collaborated closely with Nature Seychelles throughout the project. R E P L I C A B I L I T Y The programme on Cousin Island is

9 Building Resilience: Seychelles 173 relevant to other protected areas in small island developing States (SIDS). Such small islands are often home to many endemic and endangered species and many protected areas have been designated for the protection of biodiversity. However, in many cases, conservation takes precedence in such reserves and emergency aspects may not have been properly taken into account. In addition, eco-tourism has often evolved in an ad hoc manner in many of these areas and it is only now that a few sites are looking seriously at disaster planning, preparedness and response. In both cases, using the example of the Cousin Island experience would be useful. The results obtained on Cousin Island are also replicable in so far as they have been achieved with low tech inputs in most cases, based on sensible practices and using tools, such as insurance cover, that are available everywhere. The Cousin Island management is keen to see its initiatives replicated in other reserves and invites personnel from protected areas to share their experiences through its EXP scheme. I M P A C T The impact of the measures introduced on Cousin Island can be measured by the very low rate of incidents and the successful ways in which staff have dealt with them. For example: there have been no serious or fatal accidents; only three minor boat incidents have occurred in 8 years of ferrying some 80,000 people to and from the island; one staff member with a broken foot was efficiently evacuated from the island; there have been no fires of any kind; no injuries have been caused by malfunctioning equipment; no complaints have been received from visitors or tour operators regarding health and safety (except for one boat incident mentioned earlier); damage from a 2002 storm event was repaired within three weeks; and no diseases or new pest species have been introduced. The economic sustainability of the project is ensured as Cousin Island generates income through eco-tourism. This is sufficient to manage the nature reserve, including staff salaries, insurance, and infrastructure and capital investment. Environmental sustainability is ensured because the emergency-preparedness programme is designed to protect the ecological integrity of the island. The emergency-preparedness programme also provides peace of mind and reassurance to staff, tour operators and visitors as well as other stakeholders who use the island such as schools and local groups. Among the special circumstances that have made the experience successful is the

10 174 VOLUME 12: EXAMPLES OF NATURAL DISASTER MITIGATION IN SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES fact that the island is owned and managed by non-governmental conservation organizations. Because the land tenure is secure and responsibilities are clear, there has been considerable interest over the years in improving the resilience of both ecosystems and management systems. Among the other areas of impact of the emergency-preparedness programme has been the international recognition of the Cousin Island Special Reserve. In 2000, it became the first reserve in Africa to be invited to join the International Biodiversity Observation Year. In 2002, Cousin Island was designated a Demonstration Site for the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). In 2003, it won an award under the British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow programme. In 2004, it won the Condé Nast Ecotourism Award and was recognized as being well run, with an experienced team in place and substantial resources being invested in management, in a management effectiveness study of protected areas coordinated by ICRAN, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Various management actions have also been positively highlighted in several case studies published internationally. L E S S O N S L E A R N E D Lessons learned during the implementation of various phases of the emergencypreparedness programme include: the need to reduce resistance from staff through meetings and to include change management in administration practices; the importance of identification and prioritization of activities through work programmes because of competing interests and time and resource limitations; the need to identify relevant donors, to work with them for the mobilization of resources, and to plan along a long time line because of the paucity of donors; the necessity to draw up, implement and keep to maintenance schedules by making these part of work programmes and staff evaluation; the requisite identification of expertise because of the lack thereof in the Seychelles by the long process of contacting regional and international partners; the immediacy of overcoming any lack or shortage of equipment, spare parts and essential items in the Seychelles by putting in place an in-house system of identifying, sourcing and importing such items; and the need to keep stakeholders informed of progress through articles in local newspapers, magazines and radio/television programmes, thus gaining positive public support.

11 Building Resilience: Seychelles 175 F U T U R E P L A N S To further improve and expand the pro-ject, the management would like to produce standard operating procedures as well as a small first-aid and health and safety guide. Producing these will, however, depend on the expertise and resources available. Nature Seychelles also plans to continue its EXP international warden exchange scheme, which will also help to promote Cousin Island as a centre of excellence. In addition, through a medium-sized project that is funded by the Global Environment Facility and that began in 2004, the management of Cousin Island is working with the management of neighbouring Cousine Island as well as others in the Seychelles on habitat rehabilitation and disaster mitigation. P U B L I C A T I O N S Shah, N.J. (2000). Cousin Island Special Reserve. In: Sustainable Development of Tourism: A Compilation of Good Practices. World Tourism Organization.. (2001). Benchmarking eco-tourism operations in MPAs. In: Training for the Sustainable Management of Marine Protected Areas. Centre for Marine Conservation and Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association.. (2004a). Contingency planning and emergency preparedness in MPAs in Seychelles (case study). In: Managing Marine Protected Areas. A Toolkit for the Western Indian Ocean. World Conservation Union, Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association, United Nations Environment Programme and World Wildlife Fund.. (2004b). Lessons learned from solar energy systems in Seychelles (case study). In: Managing Protected Areas. A Toolkit for the Western Indian Ocean. World Conservation Union, Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association, United Nations Environment Programme and World Wildlife Fund. Wells, S. (2004). Assessment of Management Effectiveness in Selected Marine Protected Areas in the Western Indian Ocean. World Conservation Union. Case Study Prepared by: Nirmal Jivan Shah Address: Nature Seychelles, Centre for Environment and Education, P.O. Box 1310, Roche Caiman, Mahe, Seychelles Tel.: (+248) Fax: (+248) nature@seychelles.net Project Participants: Nirmal Shah, chief executive, Nature Seychelles: Conceived and led the programme. Joel Souyave: Responsible for implementation of the programme on the island. Kerstin Henri: Responsible for project coordination and financial management.

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