Fighting Pirates and Climate Change: The Island Nation of Seychelles Demonstrates the Importance of Collaboration
Small island nations are more vulnerable in the face of climate change than other nations. Climate change-induced coral bleaching has led to adverse effects on Seychelles’ fishing industry—its second largest industry. One of the more direct effects was a “decrease in the abundance and size of fish.” The nation has taken innovative steps to deal with the coral bleaching issue. However, an additional external and unrelated issue also threatened the sustainability of the ecosystem and fishing industry: pirates.
Seychelles has dealt with pirates attacking fishing ships on many occasions. Back in 2010, pirate attacks directly impacted the fishing and tourism industries in Seychelles. The country’s fishing industry began to recover after improving their maritime security through “international anti-piracy efforts” and increased physical security.
Since then, Seychelles has been “leading the way” in prosecuting piracy. While many nations “catch and release” pirates, Seychelles has been exceedingly willing to actually prosecute them. Seychelles has worked closely with the international community to stifle piracy. While the pirates were rogues evading the law, Seychelles chose collaboration to combat the threat.
Much like their anti-piracy efforts, Seychelles is a global leader in climate change efforts. When dealing with piracy, they have used both “international maritime cooperation and proactive measures.” When confronting climate issues, Seychelles has similarly striven to work closely with other nations rather than attempting to unilaterally solve things.
Historically, people have looked to large, Western powers to lead the charge in combating climate change. However, being a large nation is not inherently beneficial. Dr. Ian Ralby, “adjunct professor of maritime law and security at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies,” has argued that Seychelles’ smaller size “gives them the advantage of agility.” In his perspective, having a smaller population is more conducive to implementing large-scale, sweeping changes.
Seychelles’ reliance on diplomacy, willingness to seek out international cooperation, and innovative solutions to complex climate issues make the nation a dynamic actor capable of leading in global issues.
Their environment minister, Wallace Cosgrow, has discussed the nation’s role globally regarding environmental concerns: “We want to lead by example and show the world that it can be done. The resources in small island countries are not always available for conservation for example. So we’re looking at innovative ways to raise financing to support the environment.” He also explained that many other small island nations have reached out for advice on replicating both their “debt swap” program and “marine spatial planning.”
In the end, Seychelles’ anti-piracy approaches are indicative of their overall approach to other global issues like climate change. They apply innovative measures and use international partnerships to achieve their goals. Small island nations tend to be ignored or spoken over at international climate conferences. However, Seychelles is a perfect example of why their voices must be heard. Not only do small island nations stand to lose the most from climate change, they often have the solutions needed combat it and create a more sustainable future.