Helena Sims - Project Lead for Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan at the TNC

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).