President Danny Faure received the President and Chairman of Mission Blue and The Sylvia Earle Alliance, Dr Sylvia Earle, at State House this morning.

The President welcomed her to State House and thanked Dr Earle for visiting Seychelles and featuring the country in her BBC programme in partnership with Rolex. President Faure commended Dr Earle for her extraordinary efforts in championing marine conservation and the work she is doing for humanity. He gave his commitment as Head of State that Seychelles will continue to be a strong advocate for the preservation of the environment, the Blue Economy and maintaining Marine Protected Areas.

Dr Earle congratulated Seychelles for its leadership to achieve 30% ocean protection 10 years ahead of global targets. She said that the example set by Seychelles is a cause for hope.

During the meeting, which was also filmed by BBC for their programme, Dr Earle shared with President Faure her experiences in Seychelles. Their discussion also centred on the importance of protecting the oceans, sustainable economic development, and the need for urgent collective action to champion marine protection. They also spoke about the importance of engaging young people in educational activities related to the protection of the environment and oceans. President Faure spoke about the national Eco-Schools Programme whereby winning schools are awarded a return trip to Aldabra, fully sponsored by the Seychelles Islands Foundation. This is an example of a programme aimed at promoting environmental education by engaging students, teachers and other stakeholders to work collectively to deal with different environmental issues.

During an interview with the local media, Dr Earle highlighted the impact of climate change and how she has observed Seychelles’ vulnerability. She noted she can see what is being done in the fight against climate change and that she is thrilled to be in Seychelles to witness for herself the positive things that the country is doing to conserve nature and the oceans.

Also present this morning was the Chief Executive Officer at Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust, Ms Angelique Pouponneau, and Policy Expert, Mission Blue/The Sylvia Earle Alliance, Mr Max Bello.