CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES 5

Leading to the official Launching of TESS on Saturday 1st March 2008.

Re-Activating the Eco-Tourism process

Measure No. 5 of 25 (In no particular order)

FOR THE COMMUNITY AND BY THE COMMUNITY
“Turning Possibilities into Realities”

World Summit on Eco-Tourism 19th to 22nd May 2002.

Marc MRM Marengo
Chairman of TAREC


WORLD SUMMIT ON ECOTOURISM
QUEBEC, CANADA
19 – 22 MAY 2002


Good afternoon Ladies and Gentleman

I am honoured to have the privilege of sharing the Seychelles experience with you at the World Summit “Ecotourism-A trend or a challenge”.

The Seychelles Ministry of Environment has over the past 5 years or so followed the international and national debates of societies, conservation organisations, scientists, the tourism industry and many others to understand what is meant for Seychelles by the term ecotourism. We have to admit that this has not been an easy task. Finally we came to understand that the impact and the well being of the environment and the local community are common themes. This has lead the ministry to define ecotourism as:

“Environmentally responsible travel to relatively undisturbed natural areas – in order to enjoy and appreciate nature and any accompanying cultural features – that promotes and supports conservation, has low visitors impact and involves and is beneficial to the local community”

As a group of small tropical islands, the tourism industry has always posed a huge challenge for Seychelles. At a very early stage policymakers became aware that the natural uniqueness of Seychelles is the core attraction for Seychelles tourism industry and subsequently its economic base. The only possibility to profit from this resource without destroying it was through sustainable development. A strict NO to mass tourism or quick money saved the flora and fauna of the islands.

In 1972 the world, through the creation of CITES, made one of the first steps towards a united conservation policy, addressing the issue of trade in species but, unfortunately, not the protection of their habitats. Despite the challenge of establishing a young independent republic, only 7 years later, in 1979, Seychelles designated half of its land territory as protected area. This decision advanced conservation from focusing on species conservation approach to the protection of the habitat, which is the best means of protecting all forms of life. But it did not stop here. Over the years the majority of those newly designated special reserves and national parks became core attractions, one of the main reasons why tourists choose Seychelles as a holiday destination.

Sometimes the benefits are complex for example the visitors of the world heritage site Valle de Mai finances the day to day operation of Aldabra the second world heritage site of the country. Aride and Cousin Island among others are managed by NGOs and they are well known for marrying conservation projects with controlled tourism.

Despite the fact, the majority of our visitors enjoy our spectacular coastlines and marine attractions, which are mainly situated outside the 50% of the protected land areas. This is one more reason why the issue of sustainable development necessitated a comprehensive approach in the form of an environment management plan.

The first Environment Management Plan of Seychelles, (EMPS)1990 – 2000, was prepared by the Government in 1989 with the assistance of UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank. 40 Million US$ were raised from various Donors for its implementation. The EMPS portfolio was presented in 11 different programmes, which included 45 national and 6 regional projects. About 90% of the programmes and projects were implemented. Successes achieved by the first EMPS are the strengthening of institutional framework. The Environment Protection Act was enacted in 1994, the turtle shell trade was addressed through a multidisciplinary approach and was banned, species recovery programmes of globally threatened species started, management of solid waste disposal started, environmental education has been introduced at all levels in schools, several local NGOs were formed mostly involving groups of young people.

A second edition covering 2002 to 2010 has been launched an implementation has started. When drafting the second EMPS the lessons learned and limitation of the first EMPS were formulated and are printed in the second plan.

The overall goal of the EMPS 2000 – 2010 is the promotion, co-ordination and integration of sustainable development programmes that cut across all sectors of society in Seychelles in order to attain its vision.

One of the fundamental principles adopted in designing the new EMPS, is that the process should lead to a greater capacity to understand, monitor and cope with emerging environmental issues, all of which call for a greater and wider involvement of all stakeholders. The formulation process has included significant public participation. However, consensus is that the new EMPS progress will be audited and monitored continuously and revised on an annual basis, thus always providing further opportunities for continual improvement and incorporation of new ideas, knowledge and innovations.

Ten thematic areas were chosen to cover all major social and economic sectors as well as certain key subjects of environment management. Seven cross-sectorial themes cutting across the main thematic areas were also identified.

One of the 10 thematic areas addressed is of course the tourism sector. Today any tourism development is subject to the Environment Protection Act together with the Town Country Planning Act. An Environmental Impact Assessment is mandatory for all tourism projects. These Assessments screen the project details and encourage public consultations before and during the project’s implementation. Therefore, it is not surprising that the ultimate objectives for this sector in the EMPS are:

• to develop and market Seychelles as a world ecotourism destination,
• to promote sustainable tourism development,
• to promote sustainable design and resource management in the tourism sector
• and finally, to build capacity to deal with environmental management in the tourism sector.

At present the Ministry of Environment together with the Ministry of Tourism and Transport have taken the lead to develop the national ecotourism strategy under the principles of wide public consultation. The aim is to launch the strategy during the Tourism Week in September, 2002.

At the end of our statement you may understand that we in Seychelles cannot afford to regard ecotourism only as a segment in our travel industry. Limited in land area and largely dependent on the tourism industry, for us sustainable development in all sectors is not an option but a necessity. For us no piece and I say it again, no piece of land is too small to be integrated in the programme. Again our philosophy of tourism is the enjoyment of nature for the benefit of and with the involvement of the local community, whilst protecting and safeguarding it for generations to come. You are invited to test our experiences in ecotourism as all encompassing and not as a mere segment of the world travel market.

The End


Summary of the Report on the
Conference on Sustainable Development of Ecotourism
in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Other Small Islands

Mahé, Seychelles, 8-10 December 2001


Presented by Ms. S. de Comarmond
Minister for Tourism & Transport of the Republic of Seychelles


The Conference on Sustainable Development of Ecotourism in Small Island Developing States and Other Small Islands took place in Seychelles from the 8th to 10th December 2001. The Conference was attended by 100 participants from 20 countries and included stakeholders from the public, private and NGO sectors, as well as local communities.

1.0 The object of the Conference was to provide a forum where stakeholders concerned with sustainable development and management of ecotourism in small islands could exchange experiences.

2.0 A total of 25 case studies were presented, as well as three introductory presentations, and the thematic sessions addressed the four themes of this Summit.

3.0 I will now summarise the highlights and main conclusions of the Conference, paying particular attention to those issues and concerns that relate especially to islands.

4.0 As you are aware, islands are among the most visited tourist destinations in the world. While many are still typically based on “sun, sand and sea”, islands also have great ecotourism potential. At the same time, island ecosystems, cultures and economies are very vulnerable and fragile.

5.0 As such, the fragility of island ecosystems demands very careful planning of ecotourism activities, and the participation of local communities is also essential for sustainable ecotourism development.

6.0 Under the theme “Ecotourism Planning”, the case studies that were presented provided a wide range of approaches to ecotourism planning, policymaking and regulation. Regardless of the approach, the case studies demonstrated that certain common principles exist in the small island context.

7.0 An important conclusion was that, due to the natural and economic specificities of tourism in small islands, it is not realistic to focus on ecotourism in the stricter sense. Rather, the boarder concept of “sustainable tourism” is often a more effective policy position, though ecotourism plays and important role in further setting the standards for the protection of the natural and cultural environment.

8.0 It is nevertheless essential to formulate a common vision as an initial step in the strategic planning processes for sustainable tourism and ecotourism development, which should always involve all stakeholders. In this regard, I am pleased to report that the new tourism policy document of Seychelles, “Vision 21”, was cited as a good example of a concerted visioning exercise at the national level in a small island developing state.

9.0 One of the important issues highlighted was the extent to which ecotourism development can assist in addressing problems associated with physical isolation in small islands, since ecotourism activities can give an impetus to the development of less-favoured areas on islands, and can also contribute to poverty alleviation.

10.0 It was noted that in larger islands “zoning” can enable ecotourism activities to develop in conservation areas, with conventional tourism restricted to other zones.

11.0 In all small islands ecotourism facilities must pay particular attention to the management of energy and scarce water resources, as well as waste management. Equally, the accidental introduction of alien species is another major threat that must be considered.

12.0 Under the theme, “Regulation of Ecotourism”, it was stressed that governmental commitment to conservation and ecotourism development is an important precondition for success. Moreover, in view of the primary importance of the natural environment, it is essential that all stakeholders co-operate in regulating the industry and enforcing the intuitional framework.

13.0 On the issue of international conservation schemes, it was noted that these are applicable to island destinations, and can also serve as the basis for national legislation.

14.0 For example, concerning accommodation classification, which should ideally include an eco-label or eco-certification scheme, it was recognised that it is important to establish guidelines, which may subsequently be developed into mandatory regulations.

15.0 Finally, on the subject of guidelines, it was noted that poaching and illegal fishing and hunting are common problems, particularly on remote islands, and that one way of approaching this issue is by the direct involvement of local communities.

16.0 Under the third theme, “Product development, marketing and promotion”, it was agreed that ecotourism products need to be well defined, so that they are better understood by the industry and consumers alike.

17.0 Of course, since there are different perceptions of ecotourism in different markets, the need to brand this product to appropriately match these markets was seen.

18.0 An important conclusion was that the use of information technology can enable island destinations to communicate with customers, and develop differentiated tourism products.

19.0 It was also observed that the development of innovative small-scale ecotourism activities could provide sustainable financing mechanisms to manage and protect areas that are today unproductive and threatened.

20.0 Yachting was also identified as an environmental friendly way of visiting coastal and marine ecotourism sites, if properly regulated and managed.

21.0 But above all, local communities should be involved in the development process, especially in defining the portrayal of their cultural traditions.

22.0 Under the theme “Monitoring costs and benefits of Ecotourism”, a key observation was the critical need for constant monitoring from the beginning of the planning and development process.

23.0 The development of sustainability indicators should be related to political , development and conservation objectives, and a number of relatively simple and reliable indicators should support the monitoring and control of planning and development programmes.

24.0 An important point was that financial expectations from ecotourism should be connected to the sale of the proposed activities, and the limits of financial benefits, relative to conventional sun-and-beach mass tourism, should be clearly explained to local communities. At the same time it is important to raise awareness about the social and environmental benefits that can be derived from ecotourism.

25.0 There was considerable debate on the issue of “payback mechanisms” and it was agreed that tourism enterprises must be encouraged to contribute to the sustainable use of natural resources, particularly in view of the extremely limited availability of both renewable and non-renewable resources in small islands.

26.0 Pricing was also indentified as an important, though often controversial issue, as consumers and tour operators are reluctant to pay higher prices. However in the absence of payment for use and maintenance of public goods, tourism will continue to place economic burden on some island destinations rather than deliver economic benefits. Thus, in order to make “eco-taxes” or other payback mechanisms acceptable, there is a need to assure visitors and operators that such contributions will actually be utilised for maintenance and protection of the assets they are enjoying.

27.0 The Conference noted that while tourism is a potential solution for funding protected areas, there is a need for fiscal and financial incentives for the private sector to implement environmental measures. Such incentives may include investment promotion measures and making use of eco-friendly products tax deductible.

Mr. Chairman

28.0 In presenting and summarising the Final Report of the Preparatory Conference on the Sustainable Development of Ecotourism in Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) and Other Small Islands, I have done my best to emphasize those aspects that are specific to the small island context, and I trust the conclusion of the Report will make an important contribution to our deliberations.