Saturday, January 10, 2009

Protecting Seychelles environment tough challenge


VICTORIA (Reuters) Jan 10, 2009 - Getting the right balance between development and protecting the environment presents small island states with a tough challenge which cannot be ignored, the Seychelles' president said.

A rising population and the growing demands of the tourism industry are putting a strain on the Indian Ocean islands' environment which is home to scores of birds, reptiles and plants native to the Seychelles.
"It's not an easy balance to maintain. There is always a lot of pressure from developers who want to go big, who want to maximise their revenue and make a lot of profit," President James Michel told Reuters late Friday. More >>>