Seychelles in deep drive to protect blue economy
Island nation trades its national debt for two huge marine parks
Seychelles is crafting two world-first initiatives to mitigate overfishing and climate change, and to protect its marine stocks and environment. It has pledged to create two huge new marine parks in return for a large amount of its national debt being written off. It is also finalising the issuing of the world’s first blue bond, which will mobilise public and private investments for a more profitable and sustainable fisheries sector. "Seychelles is breaking new ground and has positioned itself as a world leader in ocean governance and management," said the country’s vice president, Vincent Meriton, when announcing the new initiatives. The Republic of Seychelles is an archipelago nation of 115 islands. Its marine exclusive economic zone is 1.4-million square kilometres, almost 3,000 times the size of its land area. More than 300,000 tourists visited Seychelles in 2016, which contributed more than 70% of foreign-exchange earnings. The fisheries sector is the second-largest contributor...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.