CICP has newly developed trails which visitors can explore as we’ve added a third snorkel trail as well as the hiking paths. Volunteer duties involve educational guest relations and guiding visitors on snorkels and hikes, maintaining the trails and nurseries, creating the framework used in our artificial reef project, learning about hard corals, invertebrates and fish found in the Seychelles as well as partaking in quarterly reef surveys.

Volunteers and interns for the CICP are accommodated at the volunteer base here on Cerf Island. Interested parties need to be on Cerf for a minimum of two months with no dietary restrictions and in good health. Diving qualifications above Rescue Diver are preferred.

As of the end of 2019 we have 5 inwater nurseries artificial reef frames populated with 375 fragments of 9 coral genera and also have 5 rope nurseries with 1547 fragments of two coral genera.

The  corals on the frames are doing remarkably well one year on!

If you would like to join as a volunteer or do an internship here please download the volunteer information file and then complete and return  the volunteer application form.

With the formation of CICP the opening of a volunteer base on Cerf Island has been possible. This allows the regular  maintenance of the trails already implemented as well as an expansion of activities.

The base gives volunteers direct access to the marine park and also lets them live the ‘island lifestyle’.

One of the additional activities has been the set up of a coral ‘nursery’ using broken coral fragments found around the surrounding reef system. With the Western Indian Ocean having been hit hard by the 1998 and 2016 bleaching events, the 2004 tsunami, as well as many anthropogenic disturbances, we have our work cut out for us.

Once the coral fragments have been reared for a year, they will be ready to secure onto artificial reef structures in the efforts to help with coral restoration. Artificial structures will also be populated by larger fragments not from nurseries as we monitor their growth and positive effectiveness throughout the years.

This is an important project to help reduce coastal erosion as well as providing valuable habitats for corals and their associated communities.