In this episode, Helena Sims, Project Lead for the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan (SMSP) at The Nature Conservancy, shares insights into the plan’s development, its impact, and the future of marine conservation in Seychelles.

On March 26, 2025, Seychelles celebrated a significant milestone - five years since designating 30% of its waters as Marine Protection Areas (MPAs). This achievement positioned Seychelles as one of the first countries to reach this global conservation target, a full decade ahead of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) deadline.

The journey began in 2012, when the Seychelles government pledged to protect 30% of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as part of an innovative strategy to secure conservation funding. Following extensive negotiations, a debt-for-nature swap was finalised in 2016, with a key condition: the creation of a Marine Spatial Plan to guide and implement marine protection efforts. To bring this vision to life, Seychelles partnered with the international NGO The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to develop the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan (SMSP).

In this episode, we continue our journey into the arts as we speak with a young and talented poet from the Seychelles, Abigail Joubert.

For some context, Abigail comes from a family of poets. Her father, known by the stage name Raspyek, is a celebrated poet in Seychelles, and her aunt, Stephanie Joubert, is also well-known for her work in poetry. Abigail herself is currently in her final year of post-secondary school and has recently published her first collection of poems, Converse.

In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with French actor and filmmaker Nicolas Vanbeveren, who joined us while on holiday in his native Seychelles. Born to a Seychellois mother and a French father, Nicolas moved to France at a very young age. Growing up, he discovered a deep passion for acting, which would later shape his career.

Nicolas has appeared in acclaimed productions such as Belgravia, Those About to Die, and NCIS. On a warm, sunny morning, I sat down with him to explore the inspiration behind his journey into acting and what keeps him driven in his craft.

As we kick off the new year, what better way to dive in than by exploring the world of culinary arts? I’m thrilled to be joined by Chloe Rene, a talented recipe developer, who I had the pleasure of catching up with during her holiday in the breathtaking Seychelles Islands, her native home. While enjoying the tropical breeze, I couldn’t resist asking her all about her creative work and passion for food.

In this first episode of Season 2 we speak to Taniah who is a young popular singer and entrepreneur from Seychelles. Singing has been her favourite art since her childhood. She has created an NGO called Taniah Entertainment Association to help young people acquire essential skills including singing that they would need to pursue a career as an artist and to become good citizens.

Note: Author & Composer of the song 'My God' is Taniah Jeremie

In this episode we will learn about Mission Blue, which is an organisation led by the legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle. We speak to Maximiliano Bello who is the policy Director at Mission Blue on their work to create public awareness, access and support for a worldwide network of marine protected areas or Hope spots.

In this episode we speak to Sven Biermann who is the Executive Director of Fisheries Transparency Initiative or FiTI. Marine Fisheries is critical to food security and plays a major role in the economy of coastal countries. However, similar to any other natural resources marine fish stocks have to be exploited sustainably. It is the fundamental obligation of governments to manage fisheries responsibly on behalf of their citizens as a public asset. The availability of credible information to the public is one of many key aspects of sustainable management of fisheries. The Fisheries Transparency Initiative has been developed as a unique effort that complements and supports other national, regional and global efforts for achieving responsible fisheries governance. FiTI is a global partnership that seeks to increase transparency and participation for a more sustainable management of marine fisheries. By making fisheries management more transparent and inclusive, the FiTI promotes informed public debates on fisheries policies and supports the long-term contribution of the sector to national economies and the well-being of citizens and businesses that depend on a healthy marine environment.

Unique Foundation is a not for profit organisation founded by Farida Camille who is an education professional, along with some of her colleagues and other professionals. The Foundation aims to address some of the youth related issues by engaging youths in activities and programmes that would encourage them to adopt positive lifestyles. Unique Foundation is based on the island of Praslin which is the second largest island in the Seychelles archipelago. Praslin has a population of around 8,000 inhabitants which translates to approximately 7% of the population of the Seychelles. The island has not been spared from behavioural issues and other social ills that affect some of the youth around the world.