Seychelles already supports the IOSEA Turtle Agreement under the CMS. Photo Elke Talma

The Seychelles already actively supports specific CMS  agreements such as the Indian Ocean and South East Asian Sea Turtle Agreement. Information from Seychelles is input on a regular basis into this programme to better inform the strategy and action plan to conserve these endangered animals

Full membership of the CMS does carry certain obligations to support the various existing agreements and in the Seychelles case the most notable are those concerned with migratory Sea Birds. There is already a 'Sea Bird Group' in Seychelles and with the accession to CMS the role of this group may become somewhat more formalised in order to allow the country to meet these new obligations.

	CMS membership will allow Seychelles to promote formal measures on important species such as the whale shark . Photo Bob Wharton

 Of particular interest are the current plans to bring forward new agreements or Memoranda of Understanding on two particular species, the Dugong and the whale shark. Much work has been done in recent years on both of these species and plans are already advanced for submission on the Dugong following a status report by the IUCN last year. Moves to protect the whale shark are not as far advanced but after much support for such an approach at the Perth Conference Seychelles is prepared to play a lead role in bringing such a proposal to fruition.