For all that is worth, Seychelles remains the destination of most tourists, year in year out, tourists flock the tiny Indian Ocean Island and busk in its white sandy beaches and swim in its crystal clear waters that are shelter to many a species of aquatic life. And although the inhabitants of this predominantly hilly island are laid back and fun loving, they are not relenting as far as protecting their environment is concerned. The town, punctuated by small decent buildings, intoxicated with relaxation, eating and fun places, is usually clean and the roads are tidy. Littering does not go unpunished and one has to cough at least US$40 for being found littering, and the amount can be more depending on the gravity of the case. Perhaps what is more fascinating is the law that is in place inSeychelles…buildings taller than the palm tree are not permitted, meaning most buildings can only go as far as 3 stories. When you are flying in and about to land on the airport which is a few metres from the ocean, you can not help but ask yourself whether you are going to land in water and then walk up into the mountains full of fierce wild animals. Its only after you exit the airport that you realise that under those thick natural vegetation, there are houses.

It is sometimes ironical to find that however vocal the authorities of this country are about environmental protection and the fight against degradation, Seychelles is party to the Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands Agreements but it has ratified none of them.

One of the problems that this island with a mere 87 000 people (July 09 Est) faces is that as the population grows there is going to be less space for everyone and there is going to be demand for more houses to house the growing and dominant tourism industry and other industries as well as accommodation housing. This will have two effects, firstly there is going to be an escalating price of land, which may end up in the hands of the extremely rich, who may include foreigners who can afford the prices, thereby countering the government policy of having the natives own and run the affairs of the country and secondly, the once well conserved forests will be depleted because of the growing need for buildings when this would have been avoided by having buildings with more stories. It’s a popular problem in most emerging economies when they do not take heed of this fact in advance.

The problem of scarcity of land is vindicated by the fact that the population growth of Seychelles is within manageable limits, currently at 0.9% but still more in the long run the population will grow because the net of birth rate and death rate is 9 births per 1000 people. The fact that Seychelles is a middle income country also plays a role in the conservation of natural trees. Wondering up and down the mountainous topography, you will not come across a single grass thatched house, let alone proliferated use of wood for power and energy. The country’s power is generated through an oil driven machine. But even though the country enjoys the middle income status, with the vulnerability that the tourism sector has to exogenous shocks, the country should explore other forex earning economic activities, but not necessarily farming as propounded by other sects because the land is mostly hilly and farming will be a sure way to lose the much preserved land and vegetation.

So besides its captivating beauty and lively populace, there is more that one can learn from Seychelles. With good planning and foresight of the prospective future problems, this is a great example of nature conservation.

[img]http://C:\Documents and Settings\PCUser\Desktop\pix field[/img]