Recognizing the growing threat of hazards such as coastal erosion, flooding, tidal variations, and cyclones due to climate change, the Government of Seychelles is adopting an integrated approach to sustainable development by placing more emphasis on and investing in the various adaptation strategies to be able to cope. A group of experts from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), with the assistance of consultants from the World Bank felt the need to address the hazards affecting Seychelles’ coastal zones by developing the country’s first Coastal Management Plan (CMP).
This CMP consolidates risk information and provides a framework for its use for coastal management, adaptation, and risk management. It aims to help maintain and protect the coastal zone to reduce coastal risk, support healthy ecosystems, and enable sustainable coastal economic development.
After providing background information in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 describes current coastal management practices, institutional context, and related policies. It also describes
the development of this CMP. Chapter 3 consolidates the available information on coastal flooding, coastal erosion, and, in relation to those processes, the effects of climate
change in Seychelles. Chapter 4 presents actions for coastal management, organized into the following themes:
- Monitoring and research
- Coastal infrastructure
- Risk-based land planning
- Capacity building
- Awareness raising
For each theme, a set of regulatory and programmatic actions is defined, ranging from incremental, low-tech, and economic to more systemic, high-tech, and resource intensive. The implementation agenda, chapter 5, presents a detailed plan that includes consideration of the timeline, financial implications, staffing requirements, and institutional capacity.