Social and cultural dimensions
The Republic of Seychelles has a multi-party political system with an executive President as head of state and government. The government of the Seychelles has been relatively stable since the late 1970’s, allowing the Seychelles to become an attractive and relatively wealthy eco-tourism destination. As increasing the size of the tourist industry “is a priority for the Seychelles Government” (Guerts, 1999), and as tortoise populations and the ecological beauty of the islands are a major tourism draw (Hambler, 1993, 297), the government has acted in ways that benefit conservation and restoration projects. There are over 1000 endemic species found throughout the Seychelles, and this level of biodiversity lends itself to the idea of the Seychelles as a pristine destination. As 42% of GDP in 2004 was attributed to tourism, the Seychelles has a significantly greater financial incentive to protect its biodiversity than many other countries do (UNEP, 2005, 10).
The Seychelles government has used the term “Environmentally sensitive development policies” to describe their approach (UNEP, 2005, 10). Almost 45% of the land area of the Seychelles are protected areas, along with 12 marine parks (UNEP, 2005, 1). As “An important component of this is protection of nesting areas on the reserve islands (Bird, Aride, Cousin and Cousine), marine parks (St. Anne, Silhouette and Curieuse) and conservation managed islands (Denis, North and Fregate)”, the Seychelles government is, relative to many other governments worldwide, active and supportive of conservation and restoration efforts (Gerlach, 2005). However, the government of the Seychelles has not stated that ecological integrity is valued over economic prosperity, and so conservation projects may potentially face resistance if they interfere with the economic development of the country.
A powerful regional authority is the Islands Development Company, a company that resembles a Crown corporation in Canada. It is charged with developing infrastructure and facilitating tourism throughout the Seychelles (IDC, 2014). Along with the arrival of tourists to the Seychelles, large international hotel chains have established themselves (e.g. Hilton Group, Oetker Group). With large, 100+ room resorts established on islands with active conservation/restoration projects, and with giant tortoises are featured prominently on the websites of hotel operators in the region, local conservation projects have become profitable international attractions. However, the guests and staff of these hotels may not share the same affinity and respect for the biodiversity of the Seychelles as members of ENGOS and government, as they might be focused on more personal concerns. A study noted that of all of the interactions that one set of observers documented, in only 2 instances did people show a genuine “biological interest” in the tortoises (Samour, 1987, 156).
There are a number of ENGO’s active in the Seychelles involved in the protection of biodiversity. Some of them take a wider focus, but the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles (NPTS) (headed by J. Gerlach, the primary author for many of the academic publications surrounding tortoise reintroduction programs) and the Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF) devote significant amounts of their attention to Giant Tortoise conservation in the Seychelles. The SIF is charged with protecting, among other sites, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Aldabra Atoll, home to a stable population of tortoises. The NPTS seems to be much more involved in the actual reintroduction of tortoises to islands where they have been extirpated. The NPTS project has claimed Sir David Attenborough as a patron (BCG 2011). The SIF is a public trust, whereas the NPTS seems to act as a much more conventional and less well-funded non-profit.
As one of the most wealthy countries per capita in Africa (at ~$16000 US), there is less of a need for local populations to engage in unsustainable activities for sustenance (World Bank, 2015). No indigenous population was documented to have existed prior to colonial exploration, so the culture that currently exists throughout the Seychelles is a blend of the cultures of those who immigrated since the colonial period (Minority Rights Group International, 2007). An economic gap seems to have formed along racial lines, as the commercial elite comprised of White and Asian citizens have benefited from the economic growth of the islands more than the majority ‘Creole’ population (Minority Rights Group International, 2007). There have been instances where reintroduction programs have failed due to illegal poaching of tortoises (Samour et al, 1987, 156), and it is suspected that “poaching for food or the stealing of live specimens” is responsible (Samour et al. 1987, 156).
The Seychelles government has used the term “Environmentally sensitive development policies” to describe their approach (UNEP, 2005, 10). Almost 45% of the land area of the Seychelles are protected areas, along with 12 marine parks (UNEP, 2005, 1). As “An important component of this is protection of nesting areas on the reserve islands (Bird, Aride, Cousin and Cousine), marine parks (St. Anne, Silhouette and Curieuse) and conservation managed islands (Denis, North and Fregate)”, the Seychelles government is, relative to many other governments worldwide, active and supportive of conservation and restoration efforts (Gerlach, 2005). However, the government of the Seychelles has not stated that ecological integrity is valued over economic prosperity, and so conservation projects may potentially face resistance if they interfere with the economic development of the country.
A powerful regional authority is the Islands Development Company, a company that resembles a Crown corporation in Canada. It is charged with developing infrastructure and facilitating tourism throughout the Seychelles (IDC, 2014). Along with the arrival of tourists to the Seychelles, large international hotel chains have established themselves (e.g. Hilton Group, Oetker Group). With large, 100+ room resorts established on islands with active conservation/restoration projects, and with giant tortoises are featured prominently on the websites of hotel operators in the region, local conservation projects have become profitable international attractions. However, the guests and staff of these hotels may not share the same affinity and respect for the biodiversity of the Seychelles as members of ENGOS and government, as they might be focused on more personal concerns. A study noted that of all of the interactions that one set of observers documented, in only 2 instances did people show a genuine “biological interest” in the tortoises (Samour, 1987, 156).
There are a number of ENGO’s active in the Seychelles involved in the protection of biodiversity. Some of them take a wider focus, but the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles (NPTS) (headed by J. Gerlach, the primary author for many of the academic publications surrounding tortoise reintroduction programs) and the Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF) devote significant amounts of their attention to Giant Tortoise conservation in the Seychelles. The SIF is charged with protecting, among other sites, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Aldabra Atoll, home to a stable population of tortoises. The NPTS seems to be much more involved in the actual reintroduction of tortoises to islands where they have been extirpated. The NPTS project has claimed Sir David Attenborough as a patron (BCG 2011). The SIF is a public trust, whereas the NPTS seems to act as a much more conventional and less well-funded non-profit.
As one of the most wealthy countries per capita in Africa (at ~$16000 US), there is less of a need for local populations to engage in unsustainable activities for sustenance (World Bank, 2015). No indigenous population was documented to have existed prior to colonial exploration, so the culture that currently exists throughout the Seychelles is a blend of the cultures of those who immigrated since the colonial period (Minority Rights Group International, 2007). An economic gap seems to have formed along racial lines, as the commercial elite comprised of White and Asian citizens have benefited from the economic growth of the islands more than the majority ‘Creole’ population (Minority Rights Group International, 2007). There have been instances where reintroduction programs have failed due to illegal poaching of tortoises (Samour et al, 1987, 156), and it is suspected that “poaching for food or the stealing of live specimens” is responsible (Samour et al. 1987, 156).