Naturen får nu frit spillerum i et kæmpe område af oceanerne, som omgiver Seychellerne. Og det finansieres på en helt ny måde.
Øgruppen i Stillehavet oprettet marineparken til gengæld for at få eftergivet gæld.
Den grønne organisation The Nature Conservatory er ophavsmand til den alternative finansiering af naturbevarelse. Pengene er kommet ind via donationer, herunder 1 million dollar fra Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.
81.000 kvadratkilometer
Delfiner, havskildpadder og andre af de eksotiske dyrearter ved ønationen får dermed 81.000 kvadratkilometer at boltre sig på, nogenlunde fri for menneskelige aktiviteter.
“This effort will help the people of Seychelles protect their ocean for future generations, and will serve as a model for future marine conservation projects worldwide,” siger Leonardo DiCaprio, formand og navngiver af Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, ifølge Climate Action.
“These protections mean that all species living in these waters or migrating through them are now far better shielded from overfishing, pollution, and climate change”, fortsætter han.
Seychellernes præsident, Danny Faure, er ligeledes begejstret:
“Our approach is ambitious. It is about a paradigm shift on how we manage and use our coastal and ocean resources, how we work together as a government and as communities. By planning properly to protect our environment, we can be sure we are also protecting our people and their livelihoods against an uncertain future”.
The Nature Conservaancy håber, at modellen kan gentages andre steder:
“This is a critical accomplishment in our mission to bring conservation to scale across the globe; what you see today in Seychelles is what we expect to introduce in the Caribbean and other ocean regions facing the threats of climate change”
