Says Dr. Nirmal Shah - a veteran conservationist
Dr. Nirmal Shah, head of Nature Seychelles - an environmental conservation organization - in the Seychelles spoke to African Renewal on the challenges facing global biodiversity. His insights and experiences are a glimmer of hope as the world charts a new nature pathway, the Global Biodiversity Framework. Here are excerpts:
Dr. Nirmal Shah Africa Renewal: At what point did you realize that nature and conservation were your passions?
Dr. Shah: It was very early on, when I was about six- or seven-years old, because my father was a very keen naturalist, historian, folklorist, photographer, collector of all things Seychelles and a pioneer of conservation.
Who triggered and influenced your journey into conservation?
My father. He was interested in conservation at a time when very few, if any, Seychellois were. I met and even went out in the field with scientists who came to Seychelles in the 1960s and early 70s.
My father also had a tremendous library. I spent much of my spare time there when we were not out free diving on the reefs collecting marine mollusks, which was a passion of his, or hiking in the mountains.
Seychelles Is the Perfect Antidote to All the Biodiversity Doom and Gloom
Dr. Nirmal Shah, head of Nature Seychelles - an environmental conservation organization - in the Seychelles spoke to African Renewal on the challenges facing global biodiversity. His insights and experiences are a glimmer of hope as the world charts a new nature pathway, the Global Biodiversity Framework. Here are excerpts:
Dr. Nirmal Shah Africa Renewal: At what point did you realize that nature and conservation were your passions?
Dr. Shah: It was very early on, when I was about six- or seven-years old, because my father was a very keen naturalist, historian, folklorist, photographer, collector of all things Seychelles and a pioneer of conservation.
Who triggered and influenced your journey into conservation?
My father. He was interested in conservation at a time when very few, if any, Seychellois were. I met and even went out in the field with scientists who came to Seychelles in the 1960s and early 70s.
My father also had a tremendous library. I spent much of my spare time there when we were not out free diving on the reefs collecting marine mollusks, which was a passion of his, or hiking in the mountains.
Seychelles Is the Perfect Antidote to All the Biodiversity Doom and Gloom