Ministry of Environment and Energy
Message of Minister for Environment and Energy, Prof. Rolph Payet
To commemorate Ocean Day under the theme “Together we have the power to protect the ocean!”
Sunday 8th June 2014
The ocean covers almost three quarters of our planet, this represents over 70%, 90% of the world’s trade in goods is conducted by sea. Oceans transcend states. They connect us all to each other. Oceans is considered one of the most crucial components of the planet vital for sustaining life on earth, contributing to livelihoods, our well-being, providing energy, all needed for human existence. Oceans also plays a critical role in regulating the global climate and weather. A healthy ocean generates at least 50 % of the oxygen that we breathe and absorb excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Seychelles as a world environment leader has taken the right steps by championing the blue economy concept. In his State of the Nation Address this year, President James Michel said, quote ”Our determination to lead the development of Seychelles towards a blue economy is bearing fruit. We have succeeded in getting this concept onto the world agenda. Today, the islands of the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and the Caribbean support all our efforts. Recently in the Blue Economy Conference which we organised jointly with Abu Dhabi, there were also large countries which supported the blue economy approach. Our efforts to have a sustainable development programme based on the blue economy will continue this year, with a national strategy being developed with the assistance of the Commonwealth. Later this year, Seychelles will participate in an international summit of small states, where I expect there will be major decisions on this subject. I would like to encourage all Seychellois, including this Assembly, to reflect deeply on the concept of the blue economy, and to make their contributions.” End quote.
For Seychelles, the ocean represents more than 90 % of our territory, it provides us with a wealth of natural resources such as fisheries and tourism which contributes substantially to our economy. These industries are largely dependent on a clean and healthy ocean. The Seychelles has taken bold steps in the past to create numerous protected areas. These areas protect fish nursery grounds, coral reef ecosystem, sea grasses and other important ecosystems that helps to sustain the artisanal fisheries.
Let us not forget that our ocean are at risk and that we need to sustain it. Harmful human activities such as illegal fishing; unrestricted and unsustainable commercial industrial fishing, the illegal dumping of toxic wastes, pollution; and rising carbon dioxide levels – all of it threatens life under the sea. Not to forget, that the ocean is also vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Climate change and ocean acidification threaten marine resources, such as coral reefs. Projected sea-level rise even poses a high risk to coastal resources, such as corals, mangroves and reef fish on which we depend. In 1998, we witnessed the death of over 90% of our coral reefs. Protecting our ocean is one of the most cost effective ways to manage some of the adverse impacts of climate change, such as increased storm surge flooding and erosion.
Despite the challenges, the good news is that there are solutions and we know where to find them. All Nations can act now to reverse these trends. Governments, communities, and individuals can also help if we all start treating it like ‘our ocean’. And more importantly I call on the world to manage the oceans from an ocean perspective and not from a land perspective. The importance of the ocean is just too important to ignore. As we celebrate this year’s theme, “Together we have the power to protect the ocean!”, let us make the special effort to make the ocean a healthier place for this generation, the generation to come and our planet!
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