The tropical island of Seychelles is going to create two huge new marine parks in return for a large amount of its national debt being written off, reports The Guardian. This is the first plan of its kind in the world. The novel financing idea, effectively swapping debt for dolphins and other marine life, hope to help corals, tuna, and turtles being caught in a storm of overfishing and climate change. If it works, the deal could also secure the economic future of the nation, since it is dependent on tourism and fishing. Other ocean states are lining up to follow Seychelles, and if it all works out, the approach could transform large swaths of the planet’s troubled seas. The coral reef that is off Seychelles has been mass bleached by warm waters in 2016. Plus, overfishing and the killing of dolphins, sharks and turtles as bycatch in tuna nets has also taken a toll across Seychelles’ vast ocean territory, writes The Guardian. Seychelles is also home to the Aldabra archipelago, which rivals the Galapagos in ecological importance. It is home to spinner dolphins, manta rays, humpback whales and nurse, lemon and tiger sharks, hawksbill and green turtles, and seabirds from some of the world’s largest colonies soar above. The new protected area around Aldabra is 74,000 square kilometers and bans all extractive uses, from fishing to oil exploitation. The parks cover 15 percent of the Seychelles ocean and the government will double this by 2021. Leonardo DiCaprio’s foundation donated $1m towards funding the debt swap. He said, “These protections mean that all species living in these waters or migrating through them are now far better shielded from overfishing, pollution, and climate change.”
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
