| Local Speakers |
For such a tiny country, Seychelles boasts a surprising amount of internationally respected marine science and environmental experts. These local scientists, some born Seychellois and others who’ve adopted the islands as their own, can offer some of the best insights into one of the most unique underwater systems in the world.
Please view the list of local guest speakers below for brief profiles and links to their scheduled presentations.
View our International Guest Speakers. |
Elizabeth Fideria - (SUBIOS 2005 Best Image Shot in Seychelles winner)
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 Elizabeth Fideria, a Dutch citizen, first came to the Seychelles in 1993. She originally started diving in 1989, and is now a Master Scuba Diver Trainer with more than 3,500 dives logged, mostly in Seychelles .
With an interest in all underwater creatures big and small, Elizabeth is an avid photographer that has won awards with both her still and video images.
Elizabeth and her husband Gilly Fideria have been running the popular PADI Gold Palm Resort Big Blue Divers in Beau Vallon since 1997.
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David Rowat
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 One of the original founders of SUBIOS, David Rowat is among the most prominent names associated with the diving and underwater scene of Seychelles.
After moving to the islands in 1985 with his partner Glynis Sanders to run Underwater Centre Seychelles, David started the Association of Professional Divers Seychelles in 1988 and has spearheaded a number of local marine conservation projects over the years.
In 2005 he successfully secured funding from the Save Our Seas Foundation for a whale shark monitoring programme in Seychelles. |
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Rodney Quatre
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 Involved in environmental activities since his secondary school days, Rodney eventually took up a career in environmental conservation. Graduating with a Bsc Hons in Environmental Science from Coventry University, U.K in 2002, he returned to Seychelles where he started work as a project officer with the Coastal Zone Management Unit under the Ministry of Environment. Having found a greater interest in Marine Conservation, he then transferred to the Seychelles Centre for Marine Research and Technology Marine Parks Authority (SCMRT-MPA) where he is currently employed as a senior research Officer.
Rodney has been involved in various projects, including coral reef monitoring, coral transplantation, rapid assessment of the Seychelles coral reef after the tsunami, installation of demarcation buoys and mooring buoys as well as zooplankton monitoring. He was also involved in preparing and participating in, the Marine Invasive Species Survey which was carried out by IUCN and local partners in Port Victoria during 2005. He has also been involved in education and awareness programmes relating to marine conservation. Rodney also took part in the Golden Shadow expedition mapping the benthic communities around the southern islands of the Seychelles Archipelago where his main task was to look at the diversity and abundance of sea grass beds in these areas. |
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Michel Vély
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 Vétérinaire de formation; Michel se passionne pour les cétacés depuis 25 ans. Il a été formé sur les dauphins aux Etats-Unis, au Sea World de San Diégo, en 82 et 83. C‘ est au Sri Lanka, en 84, qu‘ il débute ses études de terrain sur les espèces de dauphins de l‘ Océan indien. Pendant 7 ans, de 1986 à 1993, en Mauritanie, il étudie les dauphins qui participent avec les pêcheurs locaux, les Imragens, à la pêche traditionnelle aux mulets. C‘ est là que naît sont intérêt pour les relations homme-cétacé. Il découvre la baleine à bosse à l‘ île Sainte-Marie, à Madagasca, où il s‘ installe en famille en 94. Il développe dans la Grande île des programmes de suivi-monitoring et de sensibilisation centrés sur cette espèce, en collaboration avec des équipes de chercheurs de l‘ American Museum of Natural History de New York.
En 97, muté à Mayotte, il crée, avec d‘ autres passionnés, MEGAPTERA, association française pour la connaissance, l‘ observation et la conservation des mammifères marins dans l‘ Océan indien, dont il est le président depuis cette date. Sa vie professionnelle, l‘ emmène ensuite avec l‘ UICN aux Comores, où avec MEGAPTERA, il développe des projets d‘ étude et de conservation sur les baleines à bosse et les autres espèces de cétacés.
A Djibouti, c‘ est pour le requin baleine qu‘ il se passionne avec l‘ appui de David Rowat et de la Marine Conservation Society Seychelles. Nommé aux Seychelles en novembre 2005, comme assistant technique français, il est conseiller au ministère de l‘ environnement et des ressources naturelles. Entre autres actions, il participe à la mise en Suvre d‘ actions d‘ étude et de conservation sur les cétacés, notamment en collaboration avec la SFA, des chercheurs français du CNRS et de l‘ université de Paris XII et les équipages de palangriers locaux sur la problématique de la déprédation. Il participe enfin, sur initiative du gouvernement des Seychelles, à l‘ identification et à la mise en Suvre d‘ un projet régional d‘ étude et de conservation des cétacés dans les pays de la Commission de l‘ Océan Indien (Seychelles, Comores, Madagascar, Maurice et La Réunion), en collaboration avec tous les partenaires impliqués de l‘ administration et de la société civile.
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Veronique Vanacore
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 Veronique Vanacore is a French national living on Praslin who, 13 years ago, helped to set up the Octopus Diving Centre. A diving instructor for 20 years, Veronique has worked in France, Spain, Martinique and Maldives and started underwater filming as a hobby 10 years ago. A participant in the SUBIOS Festival since several years now, Veronique won first prize in 2000 for her entry 'The other side of Paradise', a film that has been screened in primary schools on La Digue and Praslin to educate children about their marine environment.
Two years ago she presented the film 'Requin business' highlighting the dangers of shark fining to the tourism industry. This year's film is called 'The Hidden Beauty of Praslin' which showcases the beauty of Praslin's underwater world. |
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