Mr. Terence Vel
- Field Lecturer and Laboratory Technician
- Educator and Community Outreach
- Te*********@*******ac.sc
Department of Environment
Contact Us
UniSey Centre for Environment and Education
Focus areas: Ecology, Communication, Media, Education for Sustainable Development, Biodiversity Conservation, Environmental Education, Community Outreach, Social Marketing, Wetland Restoration, Mangrove Propagation, and Wetland Restoration.
Terence Vel continues to blend academic instruction with community outreach, championing innovative and sustainable environmental education in Seychelles. Through projects such as aquaponics, mangrove restoration, and geospatial field exercises, he actively inspires and empowers students and young people to engage with conservation and ecological science.
Terence joined UniSey in 2015 as a scientific laboratory technician and field lecturer for BSc Environmental Science students. He managed the day-to-day operations of the environmental science laboratory and supported student research methods, practicals, and thesis work, including for international students undertaking their Master’s and PhDs. He also plays a vital role in communicating with parents to recruit students for the BSc Environmental Science programme.
In 2017, Terence Vel was awarded the prestigious SOSF Keystone Grant to lead a multi-year comparative terrestrial biodiversity assessment at D’Arros Island and St Joseph Atoll. He supervised Seychellois university students as part of this funded research.
Terence Vel’s relationship with SOSF mainly centres on his 2017 Keystone Grant (multi-year support), which transitioned into continuation-phase funding within that same cycle. Separately, he has led marine education and environmental outreach programmes for schools and community groups in the Seychelles, closely aligned with SOSF’s education mission. He has long been a grant recipient from SOSF for these educational initiatives.
Qualifications
- Diploma in Conservation in Education, 2008, University of Kent’s School of Anthropology and Conservation. His performance was outstanding—he achieved a distinction and was ranked top of his class. As a result, he became eligible to pursue a Master of Science at the University of Kent.
Publications
Hill, M. J., Holm, K., Vel, T. & Shah, N. J. (2003).
Impact of the introduced yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes on Bird Island, Seychelles. Biodiversity and Conservation, 12:1969–1984.
Bambini, L., Blyth, A., Bradford, T., Bristol, R., Burthe, S., Craig, L., Downs, N., Laing, S., Marshall-Ball, L., McGowan, D., Vel, T., & Racey, P. (2003).
Another Seychelles endemic close to extinction: the emballonurid bat Coleura seychellensis. African Journal of Ecology, 41:179 186.
Hazell, S. P., Vel, T., & Fellowes, M. D. E. (2007).
The role of exotic plants in the invasion of Seychelles by the polyphagous insect Aleurodicus dispersus: a phylogenetically controlled analysis. Biological Invasions, © Springer, 2007.
Etongo, D., Vel, T., & Mendez, J.
Community perceptions and attitudes towards managing protected areas in Seychelles with Morne Seychellois National Park as a case study. World Development Sustainability, 2023.
Book Chapters / Monograph Series / Submitted Manuscripts
Currie, D., Hill, M. J., Vel, T., & Franchette, R.
Diet of the critically endangered Seychelles Scops Owl Otus insularis: Pellet and video evidence
Submitted manuscript, 2002.
Published in: Monograph Series II – The Ecology of the Seychelles Scops Owl. Nature Seychelles.
Currie, D. (Ed.), with contributions from Vel, T.
The Ecology of the Seychelles (Bare-legged) Scops Owl: Consequences for Conservation and Management. Nature Seychelles, 2002.
Atoll Research Bulletin – Biodiversity Surveys – Author contribution
Hill, M. J. (Ed.)
Biodiversity Surveys and Conservation Potential of Inner Seychelles Islands
Atoll Research Bulletin No. 495, Smithsonian Institution, 2002.
Hill, M. J., Vel, T., & Shah, N. J.
The morphology, distribution and conservation implications of introduced rats, Rattus spp., in the granitic Seychelles. (Contained within Atoll Research Bulletin No. 495.
Technical and Consultancy Reports
Senterre, B., Henriette, E., Chong-Seng, L., Beaver, K., Mougal, J., Vel, T., & Gerlach, J. (2011)
Seychelles Key Biodiversity Areas – Output 1: List of species of special concern
Ministry of Environment – UNDP-GEF.
Senterre, B., Henriette, E., Vel, T., & Gerlach, J. (2012a)
Seychelles Key Biodiversity Areas – Output 2: Species distribution data
Ministry of Environment – UNDP-GEF.
Senterre, B., Henriette, E., Vel, T., & Gerlach, J. (2012b)
Seychelles Key Biodiversity Areas – Output 4: Site selection and methodology for inventories
Ministry of Environment – UNDP-GEF.
Etongo, D., D’offay, K., Vel, T., Murugaiyan, P., & Henriette, E.
Stocktake and Lessons Learnt from the Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Climate Change Project in Seychelles (Technical review document).
