Aride links up with beach monitoring project

Rangers on Aride learn the tricks of the trade in beach monitoring on the island's only beach.

Nature reserve island Aride is the latest partner to join the national Beach Monitoring Programme coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

Six monitoring stations were set up on the only beach on the island recently, which is now under the responsibility of the Island Conservation Society of Seychelles (ICS).

The ICS expressed an interest for the island to be part of the programme via the Coastal Zone Management Unit of the ministry, citing a need to monitor the seasonal change in the "sand budget" on the beach, especially along stretches of beach where turtles are believed to nest.

Through the programme, the rangers on the island have been equipped with the skills necessary to collect the relevant data on a regular basis.

The experience gained by the rangers and the data collected will also assist the ministry in its Turtle Conservation Project, said project coordinator Alain de Commarmond.

Launched officially in July 2003, the monitoring programme is aimed primarily towards establishing partnerships with the private sector -- the hotel industry in particular -- and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the quest towards sustainable beach management in Seychelles.

A group of seven hotels -- such as the Coral Strand Hotel on Mahe and Lemuria Resort on Praslin -- joined the monitoring programme from its outset in July, with several more signing up since then.

The programme is specifically designed to survey the trends of local beaches in the midst of concerns about rising sea levels.

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