Project

Seychelles Protected Areas Finance Project

Lead country

Seychelles

Participating countries

Seychelles

Project status

Under implementation

Implementing period

From March 18, 2016 to September 30, 2021

SDGs addressed by this project

SDG targets

  1. 15.a Mobilize resources for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use
  2. 14.2 Sustainably manage, protect, restore marine, coastal ecosystems
  3. 14.7 Increase economic benefits of marine resources to SIDS

Project ID: 4656

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Technical team

  • Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme

Technical area(s)

  • Strengthening conservation areas
  • Mainstreaming biodiversity

Sub-area(s)

  • Biodiversity financing
  • Wildlife conservation

Landscape(s)

  • Conserved areas
  • Marine

Sub-landscape(s)

  • Marine and coastal protected areas
  • Terrestrial protected areas
  • Coral reefs
  • Coasts
  • Large marine ecosystem

Transformed sector(s)

  • Aquaculture
  • Forestry and other land use

UNDP role(s)

  • Capacity development / Technical assistance
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Innovative approaches

Strategy

  • Finance economy
  • Management operation
  • Governance

Sub-strategy

  • Nature finance
  • Blue economy
  • Conserved areas/ protected areas management
  • Institutional framework

Social inclusion

N/A

Gender equality

N/A

Gender result effectiveness scale

  • Gender targeted

Pathway(s)

  • Systems pathway

Risk reduction target(s)

  • Improve resilience

SDG target(s)

  • 15.a Mobilize resources for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use
  • 14.2 Sustainably manage, protect, restore marine, coastal ecosystems
  • 14.7 Increase economic benefits of marine resources to SIDS

Conventions and protocols

  • Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
  • National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs)

Private sector(s)

N/A

Hot topic

N/A

About this project

Description

The Seychelles PA system currently consists of 25 PAs (terrestrial, marine and combined) totalling 55,769 ha. In 2011, Government announced its intent to gazette 7 new areas in the Outer Islands; the gazetting of three new areas in the Inner islands (2 of them privately owned) is underway; the only privately owned island group in the Outer Islands is also seeking PA status. This expands the PA system to 149,045 ha, almost tripling the gazetted area. In addition, 15% of the marine area (a further 200,000 sq km) is to be protected as a no-take zone, mostly in near-shore areas. This major expansion is to be financed at least in part through a Debt-for-Nature Swap agreement. However, while the expansion of the PA system creates the potential for improved protection of the Seychelles terrestrial and marine biodiversity, the financial implications of the expansion and the needs for sustainable management of the existing and expanded system have not been properly considered. The management of Seychelles current PA system is split between several different entities, and is neither integrated nor coherent. Individual sites are managed independently of one another. The management of most sites remains sub-optimal, with the exception of two World Heritage Sites (WHSs) managed by Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) and the privately owned PAs. The annual financing gap needed to achieve even basic management of the current PA system is calculated at around $1.6M; for optimal management the gap is at least $5 million. The capacity and financing for even basic management of the new areas is not there. This project will therefore put in place a consolidated framework for the financial, operational efficiency and coherency of the current disconnected assemblage of PAs, designing an integrated new National System of Protected Area, with aligned management standards and efficiencies across its constituent PAs, to ensure sustainable financing in the short- and medium-term, and to provide the basis for the expansion of Seychelles protected area estate in the future. Within a rapidly shifting economic and financial environment for Seychelles, two complementary streams of action will be part of this intervention: improving the generation of PA finance through a suite of mechanisms (Component 2), and improving the delivery of conservation benefits through a more effective use of this finance at the systems level (Component 1).

Objectives

To improve the financial sustainability and strategic cohesion of Seychelles protected area system, while also dealing with emerging threats and risks to biodiversity in a shifting national economic environment.

USD $2,876,900

Grant amount

USD $15,050,768

Leveraged amount (co-financing)

1

Source(s) of fund

Sources of fund

 

  • Global Environment Facility – Trust Fund ($2,876,900)

Implementing partner(s)

  • Government of Seychelles

Project metrics

Outcome 1:

Protected Area (PA) investment is fostered and capacity for PA management, at site, institutional and systemic levels, is improved for directing the long-term sustainable financing of the PA system and generating conservation benefits.

 Indicators:

1a: Scores for the entire PA System and for the three components of the scorecard:
Total:for all three components
Component 1) Legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks
Component 2) Business planning and tools for cost-effective management
Component 3) Tools for revenue generation by PAs
1b: Overall scores for each of the six main sub-subsystems, as assessed separately be PA managing entities:
SNPA
DoE
SIF
ICS
NS
GIF
Indicator 1: Evolution in key scores from the Financial sustainability scorecard for national system of protected areas: [broken down as below]
Indicator 2: Absolute and relative annual financing gap for the entire PAS (using the six main PA sub-systems as a proxy):(a) under a basic PA management scenario(b) under an optimal PA management scenario(c) projected over 5 years under a basic PA management scenario
Indicator 3: Evolution in METT Scores for indicator sites (listed here) reflect improvements in conservation security in terrestrial and marine ecosystems:SIF, Vallée de Mai
NS, Cousin Island Special Reserve
GIF, Denis Island
GIF, North Island
ICS, Silhouette Is. Nat/Marine Park
DOE, Recif Island Spec Res
SNPA, Curieuse National/Marine Park
SNPA, La Digue Veuve Spec Res
SNPA, Morne Seychellois Nat. Park
5a: Existence and effective application of a PA System (PAS) Financing & Investment Plan for Seychelles
5b: Number of subsidiary investment or financing plans at the site or at the sub-system's level
Indicator 4: Total finances available to the PA system from various sources (based on financial analysis of the six main sub-systems, covering 88% of the PA estate, and functioning as a proxy for the overall PAS)
Indicator 5: On the adoption of financial planning as a key tool for improving PAS financial sustainability[broken down as below]
Indicator 6: Independent application of the Capacity Development Scorecard for PA system management with analytical notes shows steady improvements in capacity levels
9a: Current domestic revenue sources:1. Existing (environment and conservation) sector budgets2. Existing government levies destined wholly or partly for PA funding3. Park entry fees4. Public-private finance initiatives5. Forms of cross-subsidization initiatives based on public-public or public-private ownership structures.
9b: International revenue sources:1. More general arrival charge to cover all entries or a modest “PA access passport” of around 5-10 USD per passenger.2. Debt for Nature/Adaptation Swap3. Other donor sources including linking PA to climate funding
9c: Novel/innovative sources incl. PES:1. Payments for water services related to PAs (e.g. direct water abstractions by water bottling plants, and agricultural producers) 2. Payments for flood and sedimentation control (this option might legitimately be linked to Debt for adaptation swap). In this case revenues used to support this form of “ecosystem-based adaptation” as provisioned by PAs3. Carbon sequestration credits4. Biodiversity offsets (separate project input)5. Hydropower potential related to PAs
Indicator 7: Percentage of PA generated revenues retained in the PA system for re-investment across the main sub-systems and for each individual sub-systems:Across the 6 main PA sub-systems*
SNPA sub-system
DoE sub-system
SIF sub-system
ICS sub-system
NS sub-system
GIF sub-system* which covers 88% of the PA estate and likely 80-90% of all PA finance flows.
Indicator 8: SNPA's ability to retain its site-level revenuesNote: SNPA's financial autonomy is dictated by the category of parastatal that it falls under, which in turn defines whether it is a budget dependent institution or not
Indicator 9: Number of revenue sources for the PA system in the form of PES and their full exploitation in Seychelles
Outcome 2:

The overall ability of the PA system to generate reliable revenue is improved, both in view of improving its overall management effectiveness and of catering for the needs of an expanded estate
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Seychelles Protected Areas Finance Project

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