Economic Development

And Sustainability
PRESENTED BY: IBRAHAM ADRIENNE
&
SHEREEN PAYET
Seychelles natural/endemic resources
Today, Seychelles is one of the world’s leading countries in
wildlife protection. The country is home to more than 250
species of birds and 75 endemic plant species.
To get a good dose of the rich nature of Seychelles, a visit to
the Seychelles National Botanical Garden is a must as it is
home to over 280 plant species, endemic plants, flowers,
ornamental plants, palms, turtles, a large range of spices,
fruit trees and so much more.
Main attractions of the garden include:
 Coco de mer: The palm trees dominate the landscape with
both male and female coco de mer, unique to Seychelles.

 Giant land tortoise: The presence of giant tortoises from the

world heritage site of Aldabra is one of the top attractions at
the botanical garden because they allow visitors to get up
close and personal with some of the creatures that live to be
very old.
Originally a botanical station, the garden is now a park and
one of the most important tourist attractions on the island of
Mahe. The original task of protecting species has now been
expanded to include training in landscape planning,
environmental protection and ecotourism.
Contribution of natural resources to the
country’s wealth & growth
 The country’s natural beauty is the critical basis of the
tourism industry as thousands of tourist pay a lot of money
to visit Seychelles all year round.
 The money collected at the entrance not only goes towards
the community but also towards renovating and
maintaining the gardens beauty in order to continue
attracting tourists.
Importance of good sustainable
management
Sustainable development is a long term approach that involves
planning and managing future needs while considering climate
change, environmental impacts, economic growth and social
development.
Sustainable management of natural resources is important because:
 Ifthey are not sustained, we will eventually run out of them, or
they’ll be destroyed naturally.
 Ithelps ensure that future generations will access those
resources.
 It
helps protect the environment by avoiding pollution and
waste.
 If we continue extracting these resources without regard
for their effect on the environment, we may put ourselves
at risk for damage to our health and that of future
generations.
Appreciation of our National Territories
and natural environment
Degradation of natural resources is bad news since the state of natural
environment is generally the primary reason for a tourist decisions to
choose your destination for a holiday.
However, the Seychelles' forest coverage is estimated to be about
90%. Conservation areas cover 47% of the total surface area,
comprising of 19,760 hectares of protected terrestrial areas and
23,000 hectares of protected reef and marine areas.
Evaluation of sustainable practices
towards economic development
The Seychelles national botanical garden which is
being protected by Seychelles National Parks
Authority in partnerships with other government
organizations and NGO’s has adopted a number of
sustainable practices in order to protect it’s natural
resources such as:
Restoration and rehabilitation projects which
often include native vegetation and rare animal
species.
 Propagation techniques for many native flowering plant species.
 New biosecurity laws to help stop the introduction of new
invasive and other unwanted species.
 More inclusive biodiversity laws as well as new environment
policies
Nevertheless, there is still threat from international trade
especially with the coco de mer, introduction of species, habitat
destruction/loss, anthropogenic activities such as timber
exploitation, pollution, siltation and disease.