Strengthening the capacity of the community organization "Anse Kerlan Avangard" to investigate and design for counter-erosion actions in the community

Objectives

A Coastal Rehabilitation Plan for the effective protection of 1 km stretch of eroded coastline at Anse Kerlan Praslin is developed with sound implementation methodology in place for future implementation.

Background

At least 14 families currently dwell in the immediate coastal belt and, along with significant economic activities around the area, they are exposed to sea level rise and tidal surges which exacerbates the issue of severe coastal erosion. This increases the community’s vulnerability to hazards in addition to a loss of coastal socio-economic value in area.
Anse Kerlan was given some attention when it was considered one of the nine priority sites for case studies of the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA) back in 2011, when together with the Ministry of Environment they were seeking to formulate a coastal conservation plan to enhance coastal management in the Seychelles as well as to implement pilot projects in specific areas to confirm effectiveness of the measures recommended for beach / coastal protection. Anse Kerlan was identified as a hotspot for coastal erosion, which was directly impacting properties and businesses in the area. However, despite the intensive study carried out by the JICA and the Seychelles team, Anse Kerlan was not selected as one of the four pilot sites for intervention owing to budget limitations.

The affected residents and property owners decided to create a community based organization, the Anse Kerlan Avangard, with the aim of taking charge of the issue as a community. The Anse Kerlan Avangard initiated a project concept that will bring back attention to their coastal areas: primarily by taking ownership of the coastal areas adjacent to their properties, and rehabilitating it to build resilience of both the natural environment and the community while ensuring sustainability of the project beyond a project period.

The Anse Kerlan project concept is designed to have two phases: the first phase is to build capacity of the Anse Kerland Avangard and to develop a community Coastal Rehabilitation Plan, while the second phase will be focused on implementing the Coastal Rehabilitation Plan.  

This current MFF project will help bring the Anse Kerlan community together in learning more about their vulnerability, participating in the site investigations, planning and design of an appropriate coastal erosion intervention to build resilience and protect properties and livelihood. 

Target beneficiaries

Families and business owners on the Anse Kerlan coastal stretch will be the main and direct beneficiaries of the project. The Anse Kerlan Avangard organization will also benefit from managing and implementing the project (capacity building). Government ministry and department officers (in particular the coastal engineering department in the Ministry of Environment) will benefit from "on the ground" learning and direct consultation with the community. 

Outputs

The project is designed to deliver these results:

1. A community-designed plan ('design') for coastal protection along Anse Kerlan coast is available.
2. Community awareness and knowledge, on coastline rehabilitation and protection that are in line with national guidelines and policies, is created.
3. A consultative and participatory process, leading to approval of the community plan for coastal protection, is implemented.

Contributions to cross-cutting themes

Climate change: The project activities will build capacity of Anse Kerlan community to protect themselves, their livelihoods and properties from the impacts of coastal erosion and extreme weather events such as tidal surge and sea level rise.

Gender: The project will involve women and men from all segments of society, involving families with children, elders, and the disabled.