Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction
COTS
Tickling Tortoises
SSTF
Building Capacity
Charitable Trust
welcomed
Seychellois
number
of
the animals.
Recently GVI Seychelles conducted two dives
GVI SEYCHELLES
Tickling Tortoises
127 was found in May on the hill behind Grand Anse with an
OCCL of 24.3cm, and the smallest found this year was on the hill
behind the Rangers Station in July, with an OCCL of just 11.2cm.
After three months of intense tortoise searching for the 2015 annual
census, the Global Vision International (GVI) team on Curieuse
Island, with the help of Seychelles National Park Authority (SNPA),
have succeeded in tracking down 113 of our known 125 Aldabra
Giant Tortoises, and found three new ones!
The population of Aldabra giant tortoises on Curieuse was founded
from approximately 300 tortoises that were relocated from Aldabra
to Curieuse between 1979 - 1982. This was part of a conservation
programme aimed at safeguarding the future of the species. It was
also hoped that the relocation would allow further study into this
little-understood species, and would help to boost tourism in the
Seychelles. Today, populations of the tortoises live on several of the
Seychelles sea
turtle festival
In August the Seychelles Sea Turtle Festival (SSTF) returned for the 3rd
year running, and once again GVI Seychelles was an active participant.
The SSTF is annual event organized by local conservationists with the
aim of sensitizing the general public to sea turtle conservation.
On Friday August 7th the festivals opening ceremony took place at the
Natural History Museum and GVI was in attendance. During the
festival James McClelland, GVI Seychelles Science Coordinator, was
awarded first place in the festivals turtle themed photography
competition for his photograph of a hawksbill turtle.
The following morning GVI staff and volunteers from the marine
conservation expedition at Cap Ternay arrived in Beau Vallon at 9am
for the Family Fun Day. They were joined by staff from the GVI
Curieuse Island conservation expedition, for a day of beachside
activities.
On Saturday July 18th the Minister for the Environment, Energy and
On July 12th GVI Cap Ternay staff and volunteers paired up with
kids from the Port Glaud Environment Club to Cap Ternay for a
Mandela Day, a global call to action, which celebrates the fact that
each individual has the ability to have an impact and change the world
for the better.
teeth and caudal fins of different species and what that means for
how they swim and catch prey, and the importance of sharks and
The programme will run throughout the year and GVI will be playing
an active role in the initiative. First of all will be dive training, with
GVI Seychelles conducting PADI Open Water courses for the youths.
The course will introduce the students to diving and will be the first
quarter.
GVI SEYCHELLES
As we approach the final quarter of the year we are entering into the
pupping season. Female lemon sharks are returning to the coastline
where they were born and soon dozens of juvenile sharks will be seen
Jones, visited Curieuse Island for the official opening of the new
National Park.
the importance of the Curieuse Island National Park for the protection
of juvenile lemon sharks and provide visitors with information on the
monitoring programme being undertaken by GVI and Seychelles
National Parks Authority. The boards, which are printed in English
The research being undertaken by GVI and SNPA has already yielded
some interesting results, and a second season of data will no doubt
shed further light on the local lemon shark population.
support. In the next issue of the GVI Newsletter we will report back
While on the island Mr Jones had the opportunity to see the new
area. On the other hand, I really enjoyed being able to get to know
people from different parts of the world as we were all thrown into
experience with GVI Seychelles. Having never gone scuba diving before, I
Open Water course. William Dean and Steven Vital both completed
their course with flying colours and are now certified PADI Open
Water divers.
On my first day of the dive, we woke up early in the morning and our
instructor introduced us to the basics & safety maneuvers in the shallow
water before heading out to the nearby reef. Our main instructor for the
open water course, Emily Sibley, was always so patient and calm with us
as we tested our equipment and got used to the feeling of breathing under
water and getting the hang of our buoyancy.
Charitable trust
I helped run this quarter's official charity challenge, organised with our
new community officer Jilly. We called it the "Seychelles Selfie
Showdown". The aim was to have teams fundraise, and then race
across Mah completing photo challenges, such as taking a group selfie
with a batfish or on a rope swing. Teams were also required to
complete challenges before the day, such as making team flags and
costumes.
On the morning Jilly and I gave the final briefing and handed out the
team packs (first aid, bus money, map, challenge list) and set them on
their way. We were driving around in the mobile support van,
constantly checking in on the teams via phone and jamming to The Cat
Empire. One team went snorkelling with their phone, which made
where GVI operates. On Mah, GVI Seychelles has partnered with the
contact a little bit difficult... Another team, deciding that waiting for
Presidents Village Childrens Home in Port Glaud and over the last five
years we have raised almost SCR 300,000 for the home. In recent
months the GVI Marine Conservation project has purchased a new solar
Being in the van and having a few hours, we decided we'd check out
system for the childrens home due to be installed later this year.
Tim was one of our recent Divemaster Interns, and has just finished up his 3
months with us here at GVI Cap Ternay. While he was here, he helped us run a
community challenge as part of his project, raising funds for the President's
Village Children's Home.
it back three minutes before four. Cutting it close! Just like the actual
Divemaster Training internship, and it's almost time for me to leave for
standings at the end of the day! In the end it was a great day out more
Thailand to finish it off. It's been a wild ride over here, definitely the
that the first team made it back at quarter to, and the other two made
Website - www.gvi.co.uk
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GVISeychellesMaheCurieuse
Twitter - https://twitter.com/GVISeychelles
Instagram - #GVITRAVEL