The continuous protection, management and maintenance of wetlands and river on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue - the three major inner islands and as well on other islands falls under the mandate of the Ministry. Wetlands are important features in our landscapes that have important ecological roles and they occur where water meets land. They include mangroves, marshes and rivers. Their management are oversees by the Climate Adaptation and Management section
The National Wetland Conservation and Management policy was developed with the intention to regulate the developments in and around the wetland areas and support EIA process through its classification system. The policy is presently under review to make it more fitting in dealing with the wetland related developments and regulations with the support of the new Environment Protection 2016 as well as the Protected Area Policy.
Since 2004 the Seychelles has become member of the International Ramsar convention on Wetlands and so far has declared three Ramsar sites of wetlands of international importance from Seychelles. Port Launay - Port Glaud coastal wetland areas, Mare Aux Cochons high altitude wetland areas, and Aldabra Atoll - a UNESCO World Heritage site as the third one. Protection of those sites are of international significance.
Mangrove is one type of wetland which are of great national significance.
Given that the maintenance works in wetlands and rivers may be very labour intensive, CAMS award contracts to small contractors to undertake the cleaning and maintenance of wetlands and rivers using the procurement systems defined by the Procurement Act 2008. Tenders are awarded for the 11 zones identified on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue using a national tendering process. Contracts are for a duration of 2 years. The monitoring and evaluation is done by the staffs of CAMS and the District Administrations to ensure that the works are completed as per the specification of the Ministry.
Apart from the outsourcing works for the cleaning and maintenance of wetlands, CAMS also handles the ecological restoration and management of wetlands and rivers through its annual capital projects. Such projects are implemented in various wetlands on Mahé (i.e. Anse Boileau, Sweet Escott, Anse Aux Pins and Pointe Larue), Praslin (Anse Kerlan, Grand Anse & Baie Ste Anne) and on La Digue (Lanmar Soupap). Other works include the desilting of the wetlands.
A day to depict the importance of wetlands – February
In order to show the importance of the wetlands, the Ministry Commemorates wetlands day on the 2nd February each year. Through it Community Education and Public Awareness campaigns, the Ministry raises awareness on the importance of wetlands and positive actions that our citizen should take to ensure that the roles and functions of wetlands are not jeopardize by our actions.
