GVI.2014.2  

 

Achievement  report  May  2014    

 Report  Title  Monitoring  the  Coral  Reefs  of  Denis  and  North  Island    Objective  Assisting  local  project  partners  with  coral  reef  assessment.      Summary  The  GVI  Seychelles  Marine  Expedition  assisted  local  NGO  the  Green  Islands  Foundation  with  monitoring  the  coral  reefs  surrounding  two  of  the  Seychelles  inner  islands.                                                Report  In  May  GVI  staff  had  the  amazing  opportunity  to  survey  some  of  the  other  stunning  islands  within   the   Inner   Islands  of   Seychelles.   They   conducted   coral   reef   surveys   similar   to   those  undertaken  with  GVI  as  part  of  a  project  through  Green  Islands  Foundation  (GIF).      The  project   is  part  of  the  UNDP-­‐GEF  project  “strengthening  Seychelles  protected  area  sys-­‐tem  through  NGO  management  modalities”,  and  aims   to  expand  and  strengthen  manage-­‐ment  of   protected  areas   in   Seychelles,   and   to  utilise   the  new  Protected  Areas  Policy   that  provides  opportunities   for  other   stakeholders   to  engage   in   the  management  of  protected  areas.  The  project  is  in  its  final  stage,  and  GVI  staff  assisted  in  mapping  the  biotic  and  abiotic  components  of   the  coastal  waters  around  the  private   islands  of  Denis  and  North  with   the  aim  of  designating  them  as  Marine  Protected  Areas.    

 

GVI.2014.2  

 

Denis   Island   is   a   coralline   island   to   the   north   of  Mahé,  situated  on  the  edge  of  the  plateau,  while  North  Island  is  granitic   and   located   close   to   Silhouette   Island.   The   sur-­‐veys   focused  on   coral  diversity  and   longevity,   as  well   as  the   abundance   and   diversity   of   invertebrates   and   com-­‐mercial  and  reef  fish.  The  data  collected  will  allow  an  as-­‐sessment  of  the  coastal  areas  of  the  two  islands  and  help  develop  management  guidelines.      The  survey  teams  were  comprised  of  GVI  and  SNPA  (Sey-­‐chelles  National  Parks  Authority)   staff,  with  a  week  allo-­‐cated   to   surveying  each  of   the   islands.   Even   though   the  weather   conditions   were   a   little   challenging,   the   teams  braved   some   rough   seas   and   managed   to   complete   all  necessary  surveys.  The  trips  gave  GVI  staff  a  great  oppor-­‐

tunity  to  work  more  closely  with  some  of  our  project  partners,  and  to  be  part  of  other  pro-­‐jects  working  to  safeguard  the  Seychelles  marine  environment.      To  keep  up  to  date  with  all  the  latest  news  from  the  Marine  Expedition  project  Follow  GVI  Cap   Ternay  on  our   Facebook  page  GVI   SEYCHELLES  MAHE  &   CURIEUSE   and   follow  us  on  Twitter  @GVISeychelles