President Danny Faure took part in a BBC programme with Dr Sylvia Earle at the Anse Takamaka beach on Praslin this morning. Dr Earle is a world-famous ocean explorer and keen advocate of marine protection.

The BBC programme, in partnership with Rolex, is about the current state of the ocean and the latest global research investigating what can be done to protect it. The filming in the Seychelles will form part of the end sequence of the film which will celebrate countries and people already taking huge steps in the right direction. It will be broadcast after Seychelles has announced the achievement of 30% protection of its marine protected areas.

During the filming of the programme, which was included fly-over by helicopter over marine protected areas, President Faure explained how Seychelles was able to achieve 30% ocean protection 10 years ahead of global targets. The President outlined the phases that the project went through, including the sensitisation work done in communities and together with partners.

To be noted, the 30% of ocean territory dedicated to protection is a result of the Seychelles Marine Spatial Planning (SMSP) Initiative that is aimed at supporting the sustainable and long-term use and health of the waters throughout the Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Territorial Sea. It is a government-led and public participatory process and is an integrated, multi-sector approach to address climate change adaptation, marine protection and support the Blue Economy Roadmap and other national strategies.

The process includes input and participation from all major sectors of the Seychelles including commercial fishing, tourism and marine charters, biodiversity conservation, renewable energy, port authority, maritime safety, and non-renewable resources in order to develop a comprehensive marine plan with stakeholder input.