Exhibition on local world heritage sites opens Wednesday

An exhibition highlighting the developments of Seychelles’ two world heritage sites starts Wednesday February 18 at the National Library.

The week-long event will track the progress and challenges faced by the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) in preserving the biodiversity of the Valle de Mai and the Aldabra atoll, both of which were declared world heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) 21 years ago.

The exhibition will also be an opportunity to educate the public on the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, says the SIF.

Established in 1972, the convention presently covers some 600 natural and cultural sites in 115 countries.  Seychelles joined the convention through Aldabra and Vallee De Mai in the early 1980s along with several other famous international landmarks, such as the Arc de Triomphe in France in 1981, India’s Taj Mahal in 1983 and the Statue of Liberty of the United States in 1984.

Aldabra, the world's largest raised coral atoll, was declared a world heritage site in 1982 and remains one of UNESCO’s priority sites, particularly for its rich biodiversity that has provided an endless scope for scientific research, the SIF said.

The Vallee de Mai was designated a world heritage site in 1983 for its exceptional natural beauty as it plays host to a concentration of diverse and unique plant and animal species.

It is one of the world's smallest natural world heritage sites at only 19.5 hectares.

The opening ceremony for the exhibition will be held at 3 p.m. today in the ground floor lobby of the National Library, and will close on February 24.

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