Nearly half of the land area in the Seychelles is protected as well as about 300 square kilometres of sea – a vast area that is difficult to monitor with limited resources. Affordable technology solutions could make the task much more manageable.

In the Seychelles, the FishGuard initiative proposes to equip rangers who oversee protected areas with small quadcopter drones. Such low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles can extend the rangers’ capacity to scan remote protected areas for scientific purposes and to watch out for illegal activities. 

During the last mission to Seychelles, thanks to the support of Alain de Comarmond, the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change (Environment Department), a quadcopter Mavic II drone was tested in the Curieuse Island National Marine Park. The tests included monitoring of bird species and tortoises in remote places and tourists’ watch to prevent possible acts of poaching or vandalism. Ranger Jason Bastille, who works for Curieuse Marine National Park, Seychelles, explains: