Capacity Building

Capacity Building and Training programme to build and increase the capacity of local actors in environmental conservation and management (biodiversity conservation, island restoration, invasive alien species management, resource management and other related fields) and promote avenues for application of acquired skills and knowledge. This will include both local and international training opportunities. The programme will also entail the production of relevant scientific, technical or popular publications and other training resources to guide and enrich practitioner’s experience.

Project-based training programme on specific training needs in environmental conservation and management (biodiversity, restoration, waste management, resource management and other relevant areas). These training programmes will be integrated within specific thematic projects. In addition to stand-alone training programmes for local practitioners.

Internship training programme where visiting students can work on specific community-based projects, learning and acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge for their personal development. With the aim that students will have a set of valuable work experiences upon leaving school which will equip them with a better chance to be absorbed in the employment sector i.e. be career ready and then make maximum use of their knowledge in life and work.

Hands-on workshop-based experience and courses for local groups, CBOs, NGOs and other practitioners wishing to develop their set of personal and collective skills/tools to deal with their own environmental issues.

Training 1

Training and workshop in Identification of freshwater species and techniques for freshwater surveys. Mahé and Praslin rivers. February 2020. Facilitated by Gaea Seychelles and Natural History Museum of Paris. Staff from the Ministry of Environment, Energy & Climate Change (7 staff), Climate Adaptation & Management Section (3 staff), Seychelles Island Foundation (11 staff), Marine Conservation Society (1 staff), University of Seychelles (2 lecturers and 20 students), Gaea Seychelles (2 personels).

Training 2

Training in identification of amphibians and techniques for amphibian surveys. Glacis Noir and Midland, Praslin. February 2020. Facilitated by Gaea Seychelles, DICE and Natural History Museum London. Staff from the Ministry of Environment, Energy & Climate Change, Seychelles National Park Authority, Terrestrial Restoration Action Society of Seychelles, Seychelles Island Foundation and Gaea Seychelles.

Training 3

Macro-Invertebrates Aquatic Bio-monitoring Train-The-Trainer Program

On the whole planet, we have access to around 1% of freshwater that exists in lakes, rivers, streams, creeks and reservoirs. Being significantly scarce, freshwater is also sparsely distributed across the planet, and in some areas, a lot is not available due to pollution.

In Seychelles, we are extremely fortunate to have available freshwater. However, we do not have a full picture of the health of our rivers. There has been much development and change that we have not yet accessed its implications on this extremely rare resource.

This three-year project brought by Gaea Seychelles aims to collect, store, analyze, and share data for better decision-making. As this is an understudied field, we will also provide capacity-building opportunities for our staff but also for other individuals or organizations.

Last week from 25th to 29th September we had Mr. Juan Tedder an Ecologist from one of our partners, GroundTruth South Africa, delivering training in Aquatic bio-monitoring for macro-invertebrates and a presentation on the same. The participants learnt to pay attention to the creatures that we usually don’t even notice, learn techniques to identify and monitor them and discover how their presence or absence can indicate a problem arising from the river in which they inhabit.

Training 4

Inventory of freshwater fish and crustaceans using electrofishing

As part of the JRS Biodiversity Foundation funded project ‘Developing a freshwater biodiversity information system for long-term conservation and management in the Seychelles’

Institutions and main participants:

1. Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris: Phillip Keith and Marion Mennesson.
2. Gaea Seychelles members

Objectives:

1. Inventory of 15 rivers
2. Fill the gaps identified in the taxonomy
3. Determine the valid name of each species present, their distribution and their endemic status.
4. Update the exhaustive list of the species present
5. Train participants in electrofishing and species identification.

Our project clearly focuses on increasing knowledge in important biodiversity areas, and (i) fill gaps in knowledge with regard to target species; (ii) cover species (gobies, eels and shrimps) of cultural and economic importance to local people, and indicators of ecosystem health (gobies); (iii) involve relevant government institutions and community members, and provide opportunities for capacity building in taxonomy.

Our work will provide help to:

– raise awareness and gain an understanding of the rich freshwater biodiversity present in rivers, of the role of pristine forest on habitats and freshwater quality;

– provide important information concerning conservation and management actions where needed.

– Strengthened capacity of staff from government departments, protected area agencies and NGOs in the Seychelles Islands in taxonomy and ecology of freshwater fauna (fishes, crustaceans).

Methods

The training was conducted from 19^th – 24^th February with 30 participants from 11 organisations (see report).

12 out of 15 rivers were inventoried (6 on Praslin and 6 on Mahe). 3 rivers on Silhouette were not sampled as approval for access to the island was still being awaited.

The 12 rivers were prospected with hand nets and by electric fishing. These methods (non-lethal, safe and exhaustive) have been used by our team for the last 20 years in tropical islands for scientific studies and ensure very good results. Most of the specimens caught were released alive after determination. Some specimens were put to sleep using clove essential oil (10%) and then a fin clip was taken, stored and preserved in 95% alcohol for molecular analysis to confirm species name. Some were euthanised for morphometrics analysis and compared to type in Museums.

Outcome

The training provided participants with knowledge on identification of species; survey and sampling skills e.g. electrofishing; an understanding of the ecology and importance of rivers; and how aquatic animals serve as an indicator to river health. It also provided data on species occurrence in each river which over the long-term will provide us with the trend per river. See the report for more information.

Training 5

Communities learn about citizen science monitoring for river health

Local people have long been using citizen science in their daily lives – for instance, thundering rain clouds will announce that a storm is coming; clear bubbling water coming out of a source will indicate that the water is safe to drink; and people knew that sprinkling ashes on surface water will remove particles before drinking. Deducing changes from scientific observations is citizen science. It is a way for people from the communities and scientists to come together and look at what is happening around them and to use the information they collect to influence changes e.g. decisions, policies, research, education etc.

A 5-day training was organised from 18-22 March 2024, to build the capacity and empower participants on the use of citizen science within the community. The training was organised by Gaea Seychelles aiming to empower local communities to undertake environmental community-based projects to the betterment of their lives. Gaea Seychelles was assisted by its project partner GroundTruth from South Africa who shared their knowledge and expertise. University of Seychelles facilitated the training through the provision of the laboratory and equipment.

Participants had to take a picture and describe the environmental concerns thinking also of the social, economic, environmental and historical aspects. Pictures taken depicted concerns such as pollution, littering, canalisation, reclamation, encroachment, diversion, tree felling, invasive species, erosion and sedimentation of rivers.

The training had in-field practical sessions where trainees applied the tools that they had learnt in class work. The demonstration and application of each tool was done within Riviere Royale at Anse Royale and Grand Anse River. The participants learnt how to use the Clarity tube to measure how clear the water is and this indicates waterbody health. The Velocity plank was used to measure the speed of water and depth of the river which are indicators that can be used to know the amount of water in a river. The speed of water can be used in situations where there is pollution in the river to determine how long it will take for the pollution to reach other areas.  Another tool used was the miniSASS where participants used nets to collect animals in the river which were then identified using a chart. River inhabitants have different sensitivities to their environment and are good indicators of the river health. Riviere Royale which flows through residential and agricultural areas had a low result meaning that the river is in ‘poor condition’ whilst Riviere Grand Anse came out as a ‘good condition’ river. Comparing the results between the 2 rivers gave the participants a good idea on how the tools can be used to assess the health of our rivers in a simple way.

Participants were able to film their “learning engagement”, edit videos and showcase it to the whole group. In other sessions the trainees formed groups around “common environmental concerns” to assess and plan how they will use the citizen science tools to monitor their environmental concern, including how they would plan learning engagements with others.

The training was attended by 23 participants from various organisations like the Ministry of Local Government, Department of Environment, Landscape and Waste Management Agency, Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority, Seychelles Island Foundation, Natural History Museum, Educate to Connect, Watershed Committees, a teacher and individuals from local communities. Participants described the training as very relevant as it equipped them with the knowledge and skills to be replicated in activities within their community.

Kelsy Gill from the Seychelles National Parks and Garden shared her experience ‘’The training was very enriching. I especially enjoyed how interactive it was. The different activities were tailored to really get you to be hands-on and involved. The facilitators were very helpful and encouraging. I believe all participants got ample exposure with using the equipment. All in all, the training helped me to appreciate the crucial role of rivers that often go unnoticed. Thank you, Gaea team, for making this experience possible!’’

“I personally had a great week. I have really enjoyed the training. It was actually beneficial’ were the words of appreciation from Odile Joubert from the Ministry of Local Government.

Frances Benstrong, an Ocean Scientist shared here experience ‘’The training itself was very fruitful. I realized how interactive and fun the in-class sessions were. The fieldwork was easy to understand as the facilitators took time to explain and demonstrate how to use the tools. Everyone got their turn to use the different tools which made learning easy and fun! I really enjoyed working with everyone and learning about the different freshwater species and ways to identify habitat conditions in different areas’’.

‘’The training was very informative and helpful. What I liked the most was how the facilitators made the training very comprehensive and lively. It was a great opportunity to learn something new and interesting especially during the fieldwork. We all got a chance to demonstrate our skills and development while using the tools that we learnt about. I feel that now I have acquired enough knowledge to share what I have learnt with others’’ expressed Allana Michel from the Natural History Museum.

The training is being done as part of a project funded by the JRS Biodiversity Foundation to build an information system on freshwater biodiversity for better conservation and management of Seychelles’ rivers.