In 1989, Seychelles prepared its first Environment Management Plan (EMPS) for the period 1990 – 2000. The Government was assisted by UNDP, UNEP, and the World Bank in preparing this plan, and the Government raised US$40 Million from various donors for its implementation. The EMPS portfolio was presented in 11 different programmes, which included 45 national and 6 regional projects. In the first EMPS, the “Revision of Environmental Legislation” project included a component for reviewing and assessing obligations under MEAs. Second, the areas where legislative action is required to give effect to international conventions and treaties signed by Seychelles were also to be identified.
A second EMPS, covering 2000 to 2010, has been launched and implementation has started. When drafting the second EMPS, the lessons learned and limitations of the first EMPS were identified and incorporated into the second plan. These lessons learned include:
- Most of the projects in the first EMPS did not contain objectively verifiable environment criteria. It has therefore been difficult to quantitatively analyse the impact of EMPS projects on environment quality.
- Despite the creation of a steering committee, the structure of the first EMPS was addressed as “a product and not a process” and the process to build ownership was not articulated.
- The first EMPS was used largely as a project list and not as a master plan to provide guidance as was originally intended. As a result, many key environmental activities were determined by ad hoc and reactive actions.
- EMPS project funding was targeted to donors, and as a result the plan was felt to be too donor-driven. The EMPS also did not provide a strong framework for sustainable financing instruments.
- Few EMPS projects were designed to create enabling environments for NGO and private sector involvement and partnerships.
- Despite the implementation of legislation and EIA enforcement, land use management is poorly connected to environmental protection, and deforestation, erosion, and inappropriate development continued to occur.
- Gaps in knowledge of Seychelles ecology and natural processes still remain a concern, notwithstanding a substantial body of scientific literature that exists. Data management in particular could be improved.
In the second EMPS, ten thematic areas were chosen to cover all major social and economic sectors as well as certain key subjects of environment management. Seven cross-sectoral themes were also identified. In the second EMPS, the review and enforcement of MEAs has been explicitly addressed in one support programme and involves three MEAs and auxiliary agreements (g[Montreal Protocol], Implementation of Oil Preparedness Response and Cooperation (OPRC 90), Implementation of Marpol & Annex 1, Implementation of Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, and Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage). One of the 10 thematic areas covers Biodiversity, Forestry and Agriculture; and the plan for this theme drew upon and updated the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), which was published in 1997.
For more information, see http://www.pps.gov.sc/enviro/EMPS_2000-2010.pdf or contact Rolph Payet, Principal Secretary Department of Environment at ps@env.gov.sc