Project Detail

Reducing the carbon footprint of the Belombre artisanal fishing port

Led by the Bel Ombre Fishermen Association, the project aims to use solar PV to improve safety, security and facilities at Bel Ombre, Seychelles? largest artisanal fishing port in a village community. Fisheries represents Seychelles? second most important economic sector but it has not yet adopted any renewable energy technologies. This 18-month project will revolutionize the electricity supply for fishermen and other port users in Bel Ombre, and represent a world first in terms of converting all operations of a fishing port to solar PV. The Bel Ombre port is used by local fishermen to moor their boats and offload fish, as well as by other users from the local community. The port has no security or navigational lighting, leaving boats and fishing equipment vulnerable to theft and vandalism at night, making nighttime navigation dangerous and night offloading impractical. Fishing boats rely on fuel-powered generators for lighting and communications while they are out at sea. The ice plant at the port is powered by expensive electricity generated through burning of fossil fuels. The objectives of the project are to build capacity among the local fishermen to improve their livelihood, to improve the port facilities for fishermen and other community users, to improve navigational lighting, to reduce vandalism, to reduce the carbon footprint of port facilities and to demonstrate the potential of solar PV to develop the artisanal fisheries sector.

Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Belombre Fishermen Association

Country:

Seychelles

Area Of Work:

Climate Change Mitigation

Operational Phase:

OP5 – Y4 (Jul 14 – Jun 15)

Grant Amount:

US$ 48,600.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 10,500.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 21,000.00

Project Number:

SEY/SGP/OP5/Y3/CORE/CC/14/07

Start Date:

1/2016

End Date:

7/2018

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Policy Impact

An MOU will be signed between SFA and BFA BFA will discuss roles and expectations for each partner concerning the short and long term maintenance of equipment purchased under the project, the terms of use and benefits for the ice plant, and general terms for communication and collaboration re. PV and other issues, including participation of the fishermen in sustainable fisheries research The project has synergies with a new GEF funded project being launched by the UNDP Project Coordinating Unit, which looks at mitigation greenhouse gases though the dissemination of PV. This will also contribute towards achieving the following goals of the Seychelles Energy Policy 2010-2030: ? Achieving 15% energy independence ? Reducing GHG emissions.

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

Design a number of fundraising activities for livelihood fund To better meet its objectives, any organization will need to have funds, and this is a key to having a successful organization. BFA will need to raise its own funds and become financially sustainable, in order to implement some of its core activities with may not be covered by project grants, which includes a paid project person to develop and implement projects. This activity will help BFA to start raising its own funds.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

Promotion of project through local media and outreach materials. A short documentary movie will be produced, mainly for outreach purpose and distribution to other similar associations, to the region and possibly aired on SBC. Other printed materials will be produced with the help of other partners, and these can be displayed at the various future activities that BFA will undertake.

Notable Community Participation

The BFA has already established itself as an organization with other community partners in the district, namely BOAT and S4S. They also work closely with the district Member of the National Assembly (MNA), to rally support for the plight of the fisherman. It is to be noted that the fishing community, of not only Bel-Ombre, provides the population with fish, which is forms the basis of our diet. The well-being and safety of the fisherman is a great concern of the entire community. This can be clearly seen in the past event where 2 elder fishermen was taken hostage by Somali pirates for more than one year, and the entire country rallied behind the effort to liberate them. The relationship also works the other way, where the fisherman relies on a close working relationship with the (local) community to ensure that the community will respond to their call when they are in need. There is a need to understand more the hardship the fisherman face out at sea.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

The project intends to showcase how solar PV can be used to improve facilities and livelihoods of artisanal fishing community in Seychelles. It focuses on the village community and port area of Bel Ombre, but the findings will be useful to show how renewable energy technologies, particularly solar PV, can be used to sustainably develop the artisanal and industrial fishing facilities in other locations in Seychelles, as well as in other coastal communities around the world.

Capacity - Building Component

Various capacity building components are planned for the grantee and partners; Training for fishermen on PV solar and maintenance of PV equipment on boats in collaboration with relevant partners, namely PUC and the Seychelles Institute of Technology, to provide some basic training to the members on the technology and some of the maintenance that will be required on a regular basis, and the can be safely carried out by the fisherman themselves. - Train members of BFA in project management Provide basic training on the aspects for managing this project and other future projects that the association will be undertaking in the future. - Train members of BFA in species management One of the activities that the members express their interest in is to learn more about the different species that they fish and how these species live, what they eat and their role in an ecosystem. They would then gain knowledge on the impact of their business on the ecosystems and defines a species management strategy for consideration. The fisherman will need to collect data for this activity with partner SFA.

Gender Focus

While out at sea, the fisherman leaves behind the partners and children, and by improving the safety and livelihood of the fisherman, the immediate beneficiaries of this project will be the wives and children of the fisherman. During the time when the fishermen are out at sea, it is not easy time for their families, especially now with the added threat of piracy. Although in Seychelles fisheries is very much a male dominated sector, the Bel Ombre Fishermen?s Association has in the past successfully hosted internships by several female fisheries students. If the opportunity arises, the BFA will strive to involve women in the project activities to encourage more gender balance in the fisheries sector in Seychelles. Female technicians, partners, facilitators will also be actively involved in the process.

+ View more

Back to search results

Countries

Regions

Project Snapshot

Partnership

SGP Country office contact

Address