NEW UNDERWATER TRAIL IN SEYCHELLES TO ENHANCE SNORKELLING EXPERIENCE IN MARINE PARK

Plans are underway in Seychelles to enhance its marine park by demarcating a new underwater trail along the Port Launay reef, which is off the west coast of the main island of Mahé.
The new trail will provide visitors with an improved snorkelling experience while also limiting snorkelling activities to designated areas of the reef. The Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment is in the process of developing a strategy on the best way to set up a trail.
According to Gilberte Gendron, a consultant on the project, the goal is to "develop a sustainable underwater trail that minimises human disturbance and impact on marine ecosystems and provide opportunities to teach visitors and the public about the marine ecosystem and natural resources."
Mrs Gendron defines an underwater trail as "A defined circuit which one can do by snorkelling to observe the species present. The iconic and interesting species will be present on a map with photos so that the snorkeler can beforehand know what to look out for, the possibility of having a demarcation in the area of interest along the trail," explained Gendron.
The demarcation of the new trail forms art of a new project being funded by the Global Environment Facility and called "A Ridge to Reef Approach for the Integrated Management of Marine, Coastal and Terrestrial Ecosystems in the Seychelles."
The project objective is to undertake a comprehensive Ridge to Reef (R2R) approach that addresses the 'whole island' priorities of improved management and conservation of upland forest and agricultural ecosystems, as well as coastal and marine ecosystems in the Seychelles.
This will produce global benefits in terms of conservation of globally significant biodiversity and the effective management of large marine ecosystems and arrest and reverse ecosystem degradation.
This demarcation of the new underwater trail will address the requirements of one component of the project which is an expansion of marine and terrestrial protected areas of Seychelles' Inner Islands, with the outcome of improved management of existing marine protected areas, namely Port Launay, Baie Ternay and Curieuse national parks managed by the Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA).
Joanna Prosper, the GOS-GEF-UNDP Ridge to Reef Project Manager, added, "the underwater trail along the Port Launay reef will ultimately provide visitors with an enhanced snorkelling experience while also limiting snorkelling activities to particular areas of the reef."
The project, which is expected to start in July after the strategy is developed, is also expected to represent and uphold national marine parks as sites for responsible nature tourism.