Page 6 - Seychelles Report

The Republic of Seychelles

Key country indicators
Location

The Republic of Seychelles is an archipelago consisting of 115 tropical islands consisting of mainly
Country Profile
granitic islands and coralline islands (ASCLME, 2012). Approximately 98,000 people live in
Seychelles, making it the least populated country in Africa (DESA, 2019). The country has a total
land mass area of about 460 square kilometres and a GDP of $ 1.4 billion (World Bank Group,
2017).
The Republic of Seychelles
Marine resources
Seychelles has a series of continental shelves covering Population 980,000
almost 50,000 square kilometres (ASCLME, 2012).
The country significantly depends on fisheries and GDP (US $) 1.4 billion
tourism. The fisheries sector provides direct and GNI (US $)
indirect employment contributing about 7.7 per Total land area 460 km 2
cent of GDP. Similarly, tourism offers employment Length of coastline 2,470 km
opportunities and contributes more than 25% to the
GDP (ASCLME, 2012). Exclusive Economic Zone 1.3
Continental shelf 50,000 km 2
Seychelles’ coastal habitat consists of fisheries, Mangrove
mangroves, coral reefs, salt marshes and sea
grass beds. Coral reef
Marine protected area
Ecosystem management and conservation Source: (World Bank, 2017)
The challenge

The on-going coastal development and climate
change pose the greatest risk to sustainable
ecosystem management and conservation.
For instance, an increase in sea level as result
of climate change has resulted into flooding of
the mangrove areas; and coastal development
has witnessed the degradation of the mangrove
ecosystem. Other challenges include: population
pressure and the conversion of mangrove for
aquaculture and tourism infrastructure.

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