A transcendental element is education as a practice of freedom for the conservation of nature. Through horizontal workshops, we encourage students in megadiverse rural sites to strengthen their vision of the world in order to transform it, and thus reincorporate nature as an intrinsic element of societies, based on ethics and respect for all beings with which they coexist.

Educators become part of the learners' society and together we seek the process of decolonization of the reductionist thinking that considers nature as a thing, an object of the market, something that can be destroyed.

We transform this erroneous vision of nature with an educational model that seeks to reincorporate an ontological and ethical value to nature.

From the periphery, education incorporates the knowledge of the other.

The Mayotte echinoderm inventory project has enabled us to develop resource management proposals. It has also enabled the resolution of environmental issues associated with echinoderms, notably through :

• Participation in the revision of Mayotte's list of protected marine species.
• Collaboration to increase the number of holothurian species included in Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
• Drafting a report for the health services on venomous echinoderms in Mayotte, to improve nature/society interactions.

An inventory was drawn up through a bibliographical study, field research and photographic databases. Genetic analyses also completed the data.

While all participants entered a training program, the winners won an extraordinary trip to Antarctica, for which they also had to prepare their minds and bodies.

On that trip, they also learned about the scientists who monitor the climate station and the site. There they saw how everything is interconnected and that their local projects had an impact on climate at the local level.

Since 2006, more than 100 research papers on the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey have been published in academic journals, 30 papers were included in the Scientific Citation Index, and 2 papers were published in the Nature. Five national patents have been acquired, six books have been published, and three achievements have won the provincial award for progress in science and technology.

Every year more than 5,000 university students and researchers visit the Research Base for practice or research. Exhibition centers were built to display images, materials, popular science articles and live video of the species so that visitors can see the monkeys without disturbing them. The species was listed in the Top 10 Animals in the News in 2009, many photos have won domestic and international photography awards, famous documentaries have taken shots in Shennongjia, and dozens of major media companies have released stories of the species. 

The locals are now well aware of the importance of the species and human activities threatening the habitat greatly reduced, many locals and visitors have become volunteers, and donations have been received for the conservation of the species. The population of the species and the area of its habitat have significantly increased.

The purpose of this building block is to inform interested individuals and parties the procedure of obtaining the seeds of  castanea henryi trees. 

The purpose of this building block is to inform the procedure on starting and implementing  the Castanea Henryi Tree Planting Project to all interested individuals and parties.

Nature Seychelles marketed the program through placing agencies websites, paid social media ads, own websites, online magazine, and mass media through local and international newspapers, magazines and Television. Two in-house marketing videos have been produced. Information boards targeted at tourists have been erected on the island; wardens who lead the tours use them to explain the program. The program is under review and an integrated business and marketing plan rooted in the realities and practicalities of Cousin Island and Seychelles, with the ultimate goal of attracting more participants to this immersive conservation experience, is being developed.

Partnerships were established with 8 agencies specialized in placing paying volunteers for continuity beyond the GEF support. They were provided with marketing information, photos, and some received news and blogs for their websites. The partners have sent 21 participants to the program. 

1)      Conservation has become an increasingly popular career choice for young people all over the world. But many conservation organizations complain that young graduates don’t have the right attitude or the real-word skills. Nature Seychelles created the Conservation Boot Camp (CBC) on Cousin Island Special Reserve to test if the island could be used as a laboratory to equip young people with conservation skills, while at the same time use the fees paid as a sustainable funding mechanism for the MPA. The program was financially supported by the GEF from April 2016 to December 2019. The GEF project pays for a full time CBC Coordinator, equipment, and materials and other.  The coordinator manages the application process, and receives and integrates participants into the program.  A conservation manager leads on conservation work, while the Chief Warden manages all the logistics. The CBC is exclusive and takes a maximum of 6 persons per session and takes place the whole year. Each session lasts for 4 weeks and costs Euro 1000.00 (not including airfares and food). A 2 week program was been introduced due to demand. Nature Seychelles is a Private Training and Educational Institution under Seychelles law and a Certificate of Completion is awarded at the end of the training.