Gaea Seychelles

Description

Gaea Seychelles is a research and citizen science-based organization launched in 2018. Its mission is to empower and mobilize actions by local actors to undertake impactful environmental community-based projects which creates significant and sustained change for the betterment of people’s lives and their environment. There is a need for sharing critical information regarding freshwater ecosystems with local policy makers, and Gaea has identified the need for publications, advocacy and outreach programs to empower stewardship, promote better planning and ecosystem management in the islands. Resulting biodiversity data will be used to support the reviews of national land use plans, to monitor the implementation of management plans, environmental projects and to inform key policy documents to adhere to national and international commitments. Freshwater ecosystems have undergone a 90% reduction in Seychelles and are considered Endangered/Critically Endangered per the global criteria for Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs). These areas remain under documented and species data is lacking due to limitations in taxonomic and genetic knowledge, species identification tools and data management. This project is possible trhough the funding of "JRS-River Project" https://jrsbiodiversity.org/grants/gaea_seychelles/ The data gathered will benefit the researchers and agencies collecting the information and all those that relies on biodiversity data for species and site management e.g. Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Change (MAECC), Seychelles Parks and Gardens authority (SPGA), Public Utility Corporation (PUC) etc. Data gathered and information produced from the project e.g. policy briefs, will be beneficial to policy makers and site managers including the National Catchment Management Committee and other watershed committees. The participatory and awareness components of the project notably the Citizen science component, will benefit, the students, policy and decision makers, the users of freshwater resources and the public at large. Communities will be directly involved in the actual collection of data and samples and upskilled/trained in the process. All sampling, data collection and analysis will benefit researchers, communities and agencies whereby the awareness and visibility materials produced for the media and online sources will benefit the general public. Scientific publications will benefit the scientific community and students at University level. We aim to Mobilise, collate and contribute aquatic biodiversity data to the local ‘Bio Database’ and global databases like GBIF .With a managed database we can establish a long-term monitoring programme based on 15 rivers to monitor changes in ecosystems particularly due to climate change Build capacity and interest of local teams to advance the understanding of freshwater systems. Conduct an outreach + Citizen Science programme for different target groups to raise their awareness on the importance of freshwater ecosystems. The initial and continual work that corollate to GBIF's mission is to mobilise, collate and contribute aquatic biodiversity data to the local ‘Bio Database’ and global databases like GBIF .Search and compile existing data on the Seychelles freshwater biodiversity . Format and load freshwater biodiversity data to the local ‘Bio database’ and GBIF .This activity consists in searching different literature sources and museum records to compile a list of names of taxa, plus eventually synonyms, and link "species metadata" e.g. Family, Class, Order, Genus, Origin status (indigenous, endemic, exotic), IUCN category, etc. The data will first be compiled using the Bio database format and then a tool (which is already available) will be used to convert the data into the GBIF format. All future data will be compiled into the Bio database and GBIF. This activity will be led by Gaea Seychelles and the Plant Conservation Action group-Seychelles Herbarium.

Contacts

ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT
Dr. Elvina Henriette
Telephone: +248 2 50 27 84
email: gaea@gaeaseychelles.sc

TECHNICAL_POINT_OF_CONTACT
Mersiah Rose
Telephone: +248 2525019
email: mersiah@gaeaseychelles.sc

POINT_OF_CONTACT
Mersiah Rose
Telephone: +248 2525019
email: mersiah@gaeaseychelles.sc

Gaea Seychelles
Centre for Environment and Education Anse Royale, Seychelles
Anse Royale
SC
email: gaea@gaeaseychelles.sc