Saving Paradise

Category: Nature Seychelles | Date: Oct 28 2009 | By: savingparadise

This week we had the privilege of the brief company of two seabirds at our office - a wedge-tailed Shearwater, Fouke in Creole, and Wilson’s storm petrel. Both Birds had been found and rescued by members of the public.

The storm petrel before its release

The Wilson’s storm petrel was found by a fishing boat around Denis Island and was brought in to us on the afternoon of Friday 23 by Captain J P Grancourt. Upon identifying the tiny bird as Wilson’s storm petrel,  we sent out an email to the bird committee to ask for advice on its feeding and release. It had no apparent injury and seemed to be just stressed, so it was put in a box to rest. It was fed, although with some difficulty as its beak is very tiny. Petrels feed on tiny shrimps, small squids, very small fish and planktonic crustaceans. We heard back from Adrian Skerret of the Bird Committee who advised its immediate release because of the difficulties in feeding. He also said that very few records exist in Seychelles of Wilson’s storm petrel; it has only once been photographed in Seychelles. On Saturday morning the bird was released on Mahe.

The shearwater brought to our office. Inset: shearwater nesting on Cousin

The shearwater was found at Pointe Larue near the agro-processing plant. Wedge tailed shearwaters are found on rat free islands in the Seychelles such as Cousin, Cousine, and Aride where they burrow on the ground to nest. Adults leave their burrows before dawn to fly out to feeding grounds at sea  and return in the cover of darkness. They are rarely found on Mahe. The Shearwater was confused but otherwise healthy with no injuries. It is being fed and will be released in a coastal area later today.

Wedge tailed shearwaters are also known as the moaning bird because of the eerie calls they make. In the past the call was associated with ghosts. They are even said to have caused a warden on Cousin to leave the island in haste! Listen to it here and tell us what you think.

Tags: Cousin Island, Mahe, wedge tailed shearwater, wilson's storm petrel

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Category: Heritage Gardens, wildlife clubs of seychelles | Date: Oct 21 2009 | By: savingparadise

 We had a wonderful opening of the Heritage Garden at Roche Caiman on World Food Day (see related posts preceding this one). During the opening, Wildlife Clubs members Elissa Lalande and Isis Rath gave an inspiring speech. I have copied it below in verbatim for your reading pleasure.

Honourable Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Transport  Mr. Joel Morgan,
Principal Secretaries,
Members of the National Assembly
Chairman Seychelles Agriculture Agency
Chief Executive Officers
Managing Directors
The Farmers Association

Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning and welcome to the official opening of the Heritage Garden at Roche Caiman.

Today the world is also celebrating the World Food Day, under the theme “Achieving food security in times of crisis!”

Nature Seychelles and the Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles would like to thank you for responding to our invitation.

Actually, the theme, “achieving food security in times of crisis”, is well fitted with the current world economic trend of increased food prices due to a number of challenges such as Climate change, bio - energy, loss of genetic diversity…etc.

World Food Day also highlights the critical plight of almost 1 billion undernourished people in the world. In Seychelles, however, although consumers do not directly see the impact, farmers are already starting to face the difficulties of securing adequate food for the Nation’s daily need. Consequently, the people of Seychelles are being called upon today to contribute their share in producing food for their household. It is not impossible but with a little bit of will - power and wise use of spaces in and around our homes, our schools, our community and, why not, where possible around our work places!

Ladies and gentlemen, if we all take a quick look around us, you will see that what we are telling you is possible, is indeed possible!

As a matter of fact, this demonstration garden has already taken wings through replications by 22 other school-based wildlife clubs on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue promoting the use and value-added products of the plants through learning programs and exhibitions.

We sincerely hope that with the opening of our Heritage Garden here at Roche Caiman, more members of the wildlife clubs and the public will have the opportunity to be enthused, inspired and excited during their visits.

Let us on behalf of the organising committee, thank you all for attending the ceremony.

We have the pleasure to offer you a guided tour in the Garden and please have some snacks and refreshment before you leave.

Elissa Lalande and Isis Rath

Tags: heritage gardens project, wildlife clubs of seychelles

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Category: Heritage Gardens | Date: Oct 15 2009 | By: savingparadise

Today is Blog Action Day. Bloggers around the world are writing about the single subject of climate change in order to draw attention to it. This post was inspired by members of twenty two School-based Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles who, through replicating the Heritage Garden model, are showing that growing and consuming locally is possible.To celebrate World Food Day tomorrow (16 October 2009), the Heritage Garden at Roche Caiman will be officially opened. It is a model for the Heritage Gardens project whose aims are, among others, promoting the love, nurture and propagation of traditional plants (edible and medicinal) by young people thereby passing on a rich biological and cultural heritage and encouraging a return to ways of sustaining life that were beneficial to people, the environment and left the least impact. See related post below for more information.

Heritage Gardens are also being used to encourage people to reduce the country’s ecological footprint by growing foods locally. Seychelles has limited land for agriculture and the country imports almost everything it needs. An ecological footprint is a measure of sustainable living, and by this measure we are not sustainable at all. We contribute to climate change because the imports arrive in ships and planes that produce global warming gases. The Heritage Gardens are intended to help reduce our ecological footprint by encouraging people to have pride and joy in producing and consuming locally.

So far Wildlife Clubs in 22 schools have small to medium gardens based on the Heritage Garden model. They are demonstrating that it is indeed possible to produce food locally.

Tags: heritage gardens project, wildlife clubs of seychelles

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Category: Heritage Gardens | Date: Oct 09 2009 | By: savingparadise

Things are shaping up here at Roche Caiman as we prepare for the official opening of the Heritage Garden. Lucina is pruning and watering. Displays are up at the Kiosk. Invitation cards have been sent.

The opening of the Garden will coincide with the World Food Day, celebrated annually on 16 October. This year’s theme is Achieving food security in times of crisis. Nature Seychelles and the Seychelles Agriculture Agency will sign an MoU at the opening, enabling these two organizations to work together.  Other partners joining in these festivities are the Wildlife Clubs of Seychelles, Seychelles Fishing Authority and the Farmers Association.

The Heritage Gardens© is a joint Project between Nature Seychelles  and the Wildlife Clubs, with the collaboration of the Department of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Education. Its vision is to introduce young people to plants that were valued by their parents enabling them to become custodians of a rich biological heritage.

The Heritage Garden at Roche Caiman has been designed by Nature Seychelles as a model to be replicated by Wildlife Clubs in schools and by the community at home. Not only do we collect plant species that are richly filled with historical value for propagation in the school-based clubs as well as to the adjoining communities, we also collect and collate their stories. 22 schools are taking part in the project. School Heritage Gardens© range from small to medium sized ones. Learning not only concentrates around the use of these plants but also basic ecological concepts, history, folklore and language.

The Heritage Garden at Roche Caiman has the Gro Manze, loosely translated as the “big food”, the  generic Creole vernacular for starchy food crops like yams, taro, sweet potatoes, plantains (cooking banana) and breadfruit.  Another section has different kinds of spices. Another medicinal plants. In the past Geriser (healers) and Herbalists had knowledge of which plant to pick for anything from a rash to a critical fever. They kept extensive gardens of medicinal plants. The sad thing is that today they are few and far between. The garden reminds us that these plants are beneficial to us.

This Project won the Commonwealth Youth Development Award in 2007. The citation read: By preserving and maintaining an important part of Seychelles culture and traditions that is in danger of being lost, the Project is of benefit to local communities. It adds value to the communities and their local resources by promoting understanding of the value of the plants that are around us, that fosters care of the local environment.”

Tags: heritage garden, medicinal plants, Seychelles

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