Hello all (*waving enthusiastically*)It's me again! Sarah Purvis. The team of Blue Economy Ambassadors and our amazing Chaperones arrived safely to our home land. Except for me who was left stranded at the domestic terminal waiting for a delayed flight to go to Praslin island, my home. The weather was rainy and cold outside as I sat on the hard, metal chair contemplating the fruitful experience I had just disembarked . My eyes were droopy with sleepiness and my nose red and sensitive from the mild cold I was putting up with, yet all I could think of was the mass of knowledge and experience I had just gained, not to forget the amazing individuals I had had the honour of getting to know and who have helped enrich my understanding of the Blue Economy. But it hit me that it was not over, it was only the beginning, a beginning for change.
It's no news that Seychelles is surrounded by the ocean, but it is also surrounded by riches! So much resources such as oil and chemical compounds that could treat medical problems, food to feed us and other countries, a medium for shipping and travel, prospects for tidal energy and even scientific research vessels. But how do we exploit them in a suitable and sustainable way so that our future generations can also benefit from them? Do we really need to exploit them all at once? To my mind, economical aspects have to be taken into consideration beforehand. Since tourism is the main pillar of our economy we should be preserving what we already have so that it remains our main source of income because if tourism fails the next resort will be fisheries and our oceans will hence be put under a lot of pressure through overfishing and investments to drill up oil which thus will intensify the problem of global warming which the world is suffering from at this present moment. Let’s not forget that the Blue Economy is not only about oceans and not throwing rubbish in the sea. Its also about educating the people and sensitising our nation, without them the Blue Economy would not exist. Team work between fishermen, government officials, the public youth , NGOs, hotels, fishing vessels,entrepreneurs and international corporations to make this work is critical. Together we can do this and the future generations will remember us for it and be forever thankful. I have learnt so much from this journey and I hope that other youth will have this same opportunity next year. I am definitely going to choose a career path towards conservation, it will most likely be scientific. The Mauritius Oceanography Institute really caught my eye. It amazed me that a chemical compound found in sponges can treat a type of cancer of which I have hopelessly forgotten the name of, I was so engrossed in the technicalities of it that it slipped my mind. At last, I would like to thank SYAH Seychelles for organising this experience and the British High Commission for funding it.Our chaperones; Kalsey Belle, you were absolutely fantastic and took such great care of me. Alvin Lawrence, it was a pleasure to meet you and your cheerful personality. Lastly Miss Shantana Barbe, all I need to say is : noun byen BLENDE! By:Sarah Purvis
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AuthorThe interns of the Prosperity & Environment: Promoting sustainable development opportunities for youth in the Blue Economy sector. Archives
January 2018
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