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| Stop plant smuggling, minister appeals | ||
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Environment Minister Ronny Jumeau has used the ongoing regional workshop
on invasive plants to appeal to the public not to bring exotic plant
species into Seychelles. Addressing an audience of NGO and ministerial representatives from Seychelles, Mauritius, |
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| Minister Jumeau when officially opening the workshop on Monday | Comoros and Reunion, | |
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as well as from multinational organisations, Minister Jumeau called on the Seychellois public to consider the impacts of introducing alien plant species to the country's fragile ecosystem. The environment minister told the delegates at the Mahé Beach Hotel that, while some invasive plant species had been introduced by well-meaning authorities, many had also been smuggled in by home gardeners and amateur horticulturists. Some invasive alien species have been brought to Seychelles by people looking to "win a competition, embellish a grand occasion or just to boast they have something their next door neighbour does not have," the minister told an audience who included officials from the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The five-day workshop will attempt to draw up a network between countries in the western Indian Ocean region for the sharing of skills and knowledge in dealing with invasive plant species, with the minister noting that most "pest" species originate from our near neighbours. Minister Jumeau called on plant smugglers not to "make a scene at the airport, or make angry phone calls to high placed friends or relatives," if they are stopped when trying to bring in plants. "That very exotic plant you thoughtlessly smuggle in today for your own vanity or private gain, may tomorrow, through its uncontrolled propagation, or through a disease it may carry, become a scourge for the whole country," said the minister. Speaking at the workshop, Dr Souad Boudjelas of the IUCN highlighted the fact that it is far more effective to prevent alien species from getting to a small island, such as Seychelles, than it is to deal with them once they have spread. The workshop continues until Friday, with the delegates seeking to pass a resolution to be presented to the small island states Barbados+10 meeting in Mauritius next year, with the aim of raising the issue of invasive alien plant species on the international stage.
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