Action for our Oceans: Youth Leadership and Beach Cleanup in Seychelles

As Peace Boat’s 117th Global Voyage called to the port of Victoria in Seychelles on May 1, Labour Day and a National Holiday, a special programme was hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change & Environment and the NGO, Parley for the Ocean as an opportunity for Peace Boat participants to learn about how Seychelles is working to protect its natural environment from the threat of climate change and marine degradation, and to exchange with local youth who are actively engaged in environmental protection in their community.

This programme was created as a result of several years of collaboration between Peace Boat and the local government, including through the Ocean and Climate Youth Ambassadors programme and at international fora such as the UN Climate Change Conferences.  The Seychelles government plays a significant role in leading international action on the ocean and climate, including as the Patron of the UN Ocean Decade on Ocean Science.

Seychelles is an archipelago of more than 115 islands, with only four inhabited by the country’s population. The rest are either conservation sites or hotels with public access available. Seychelles is also vulnerable to climate change as rising sea levels and ocean acidification continue to threaten coastal communities and marine ecosystems.

Seychelles banned plastic bags, single-use plastic cutlery, plastic straws, and polystyrene takeaway boxes in 2017. This started as a campaign by youth and was supported by the government, as a combined approach to bringing about change through education and legislation.  A study last year led by the University of Oxford showed that most of the plastic waste on beaches in Seychelles and other Indian Ocean islands originates not from the islands themselves but from distant sources including East Asia.

Peace Boat participants heard about some of how youth in Seychelles are actively engaged in environmental work, including the EcoWarriors program organized by the Public Education and Community Outreach Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change & Environment for school students during school holidays, and NGOs including Parley and The Ocean Project.  Then using equipment kindly provided by the Seychelles chapter of Parley for the Ocean, a global organization dedicated to cleaning up marine debris from beaches and educating people about marine plastics, around 70 participants both from Peace Boat and the local community - including other NGO partners such as the Ocean Project - spent an enjoyable time experiencing the beautiful nature, conversing with each other, and conducting a beach clean up. In the time together, a total of 115.5 kilograms of waste was collected; 40kg of which was plastic.

Youth participants from Peace Boat noted that as the beach looked so beautiful, they were very surprised that the group managed to collect such a large amount of trash in just around one hour. Others noted that collecting trash together was a great opportunity to talk to young people joining from Seychelles, and conversations were very lively!

Jeannette Larue, Director General of Public Education and Community Outreach Division said the program was a success and "a Labour Day well spent".  Jessica Lawen, Seychelles Coordinator for Parley for the Oceans said "There is no life without water, and we are blessed to be surrounded by Oceans. Every action, big or small, in the direction of ending the destruction of the Oceans, makes an impact"

Following the beach clean-up, the organizers took the Peace Boat participants to the North of Mahe to further experience the island's beauty, 

Peace Boat thanks all local partners both for their co-organising of this programme, their warm and generous hospitality, and their ongoing work and leadership for ocean and climate action. From the Seychelles, the Voyage will continue to sail toward the African continent, continuing to conduct education and action for sustainability and for a better future for all.