Katy Beaver Memorial lecture pays tribute to Seychelles' exceptionial conservationist

Beaver was honoured in 2017 when a fern - "Fouzer Kati" - was named after her. (Seychelles Nation)

Environmentalists and students attended the first-ever Katy Beaver Memorial lecture as part of the Environment Week celebrations on Monday.

The aim of the lecture was threefold - inspire young Seychellois into environmental conversations, publicise the work of young local scientists and honour the work of the late environmentalist Katy Beaver, whose work has been widely used by environment students in Seychelles.

Made up of a presentation of around 45 minutes followed by a 15-minute question session, the event was also accompanied by an exhibition outside the Mont Fleuri Theatre, on the main island of Mahe.

Katy Beaver, who was born in the United Kingdom but made the islands her home, passed away in October 2021, following an illness.

She was a founder of the Plant Conservation Action Group and as a conservationist was involved in many types of research and studies and was also a writer and illustrator.

Beaver was an ardent and fierce protector of Seychelles' green environment, and she is remembered for her 40 years of conservation work on the islands.

In her address at the launching of the lecture, Dr Marie-Therese Purvis paid tribute to Beaver with whom she had worked with for over 20 years.

She described her as someone with a special gift to "spot and teach us, in the most intriguing way, about the tiniest of plants-the smallest mosses, algae and ferns-which we would never have noticed otherwise."

Purvis added that this was done in "many unobtrusive ways she got us to understand the particularities of each one, and to appreciate the wonders of the forests and the importance of their preservation."

"I think, practically, that says it all about this wonderful person, Katy Beaver, who we will always miss!" she concluded.

Beaver was honoured in 2017 when a fern was named after her. "Fouzer Kati" (Katy's fern in English) was in honour of her extensive contribution toward the study of plants in Seychelles, popularising scientific research and developing educational material for children and young researchers.

Another presentation at the event was made by Dr Annabelle Constance focusing on the role and importance of mangroves in the ecosystem – based on the research she has carried out when doing her doctoral studies at the University of Zurich.