A large number of reefs within the inner granitic islands of the archipelago of Seychelles could be entirely lost, unless concerted action is taken soon to control crown of thorns, warns Dr. Udo Englhardt, the expert on on the management of crown of thorns in a...
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Aldabra Atoll
Aldabra Atoll
The Aldabra is a giant tortoise and is endemic to the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles.
Aldabra atoll comprises four large coral islands which enclose a shallow lagoon; the group of islands is itself surrounded by a coral reef. Due to difficulties of access and the atoll’s isolation, Aldabra has been protected from human influence and thus retains some 152,000 giant tortoises, the world’s largest population of this reptile. Since 1982, the atoll has been a part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The only residents of the atoll are a few researchers, carrying out work on behalf of the Seychelles Islands Foundation. Tourists may only visit the island as part of a cruise day trip and with permission.
This atoll has the largest colony of wild giant tortoises in the world. In total, there are around 150,000 tortoises here. Hawksbill turtles and green sea turtles, both of which live in the ocean, come to the beach to lay their eggs, where they likely encounter the tiny 60 cm coconut crabs.
Abundant bird species, including flamingos, frigate birds, herons, Aldabra white-throated crakes (unable to fly), tropical red-tail birds, sunbirds, ibises, sea-swallows, Aldabra drongos, and many other feathered creatures live and nest here, with 97 endemic species in total. Eight different species of mangroves are found on the island, providing plenty of natural habitat for the birds.
The flying fox is the only native mammal to the archipelago.The Aldabra snail, once thought to have died out, was re-discovered in 2014 during a survey. Besides shrubs and bushes, most of which are no more than three or four metres tall, there are 40 different flowering plants here.
Drift-diving through the channels in the atoll’s lagoon allows one to get up-close and personal with doctor fish, snappers, and mantas, as well as black-tip sharks, dolphins, and manatees.
Bird Island
Bird Island
Bird Island is found on the northernmost part of Seychelles, about 100 km away from Mahé. Sooty Tern, consisting of 700,000 pairs, forms the largest bird colony on the island. Fairy terns, common noddies, hawksbill and green turtles are other colonies found in this island. The island is 1,500 metres long and 800 metres wide. To get here, you need to take a thirty-minute flight from Mahé.
It is now a private resort with 24 self-catering villas chalet-villas. The island is owned by Alex Savy who lives there. It also contains a small weather station and a small landing strip Bird Island Airport which connects the island with Mahe.
The chalets are, without any air-conditioning, phones, and televisions, for tourists, which nevertheless offer a brilliant ocean view and make for an outstanding stay. The proceeds from the privately-run Bird Island Lodge benefit the island’s nature. The island does not have a pool, cars, roads, or even daily newspapers. There is a shop and restaurant to cater to guest’s needs. Meals are served at the restaurant in the main lodge area and guests can enjoy a drink at the on-site bar.
Because the island is surrounded by beaches, it is safe for turtles to come and nest here. Their nesting routine, which takes place under cover of darkness, must not be disturbed, and neither must the young turtles that hatch around sixty days later. Therefore, visitors stick to the lit paths in front of the bungalows.
Between April and October, hundreds of thousands of sooty terns nest there.
Moyenne Island
Moyenne Island
Moyenne Island is a small 24 acre island in the Ste Anne Marine National Park off the north coast of Mahé, Seychelles. Since the 1970s it has been a flora and fauna reserve. In the 1960s, a former newspaper editor, Brendon Grimshaw purchased it for about 10,000 dollars. Until his death in July 2012. He was the only inhabitant of the island.
He along with his friend, Rene Antoine Lafortune, a Seychellois, operated the island as a nature reserve, charging visitors €12 to come ashore, roam the island, dine at the “Jolly Roger” restaurant and relax on the beach.
Grimshaw and his friend did an enormous amount of work to develop the island to be incredibly beautiful. They planted sixteen thousand trees, built 4.8 kilometres of nature paths, and brought and bred Aldabra giant tortoises. They also brought in 2000 birds.
Grimshaw was the quintessential islander and a devoted lover of nature who poured his love for Moyenne into the island for nearly half a century. He even refused an offer of $50 million for the island, saying that he did not want the island to become a holiday destination for millionaires, but rather a national park for everyone to enjoy.
His friend Lafortune passed away in 2007.
Finally, in June 2008, after years of struggle to protect his island from privatization, Grimshaw’s Moyenne Island was declared a National Park in Seychelles.
In 1996, Grimshaw wrote a book about himself and the island, entitled A Grain of Sand.In 2009, a documentary film was produced about Grimshaw and the island, called A Grain of Sand.It is now known as the Moyenne Island National Park and forms part of the Ste. Anne Marine National Park just north of the capital Victoria. It has more species per square foot than any other part of the world.
There is a restaurant on the beach which is a haven for tourists.
Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve
Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve
The Fond Ferdinand Nature Reserve which opened in 2013 is not yet widely-known, yet it is well-worth visiting when you are in Praslin. With an area of 122 hectares, Fond Ferdinand is more than six times larger than Vallée de Mai, and is even richer in terms of endemic plant and animal species, including roughly as many Coco de Mer palms as the Vallée de Mai.
The entrance fee here is much cheaper than at the Vallée de Mai, and a personal guide is always included. As there are no more tours after 13.00, visitors should arrive in the morning.
This reserve is more than six times larger than Vallée de Mai, and is even richer in terms of endemic plant and animal species, including roughly as many Coco de Mer palms as the Vallée de Mai. It will take two or three hours to get to the viewpoint through the winding path along the valley. From the viewpoint you can enjoy a beautiful view of Praslin island itself, as well as the other inner islands of the Seychelles. In one direction you can see Curieuse, Sister Island, Coco Island, Round Island, Felicité, and La Digue, while in the other direction you can spot Frégate, Mahé, and Silhouette. If the weather is clear, you may even be able to spot Denis Island on the horizon.
Aride Island Nature Reserve
Aride Island Nature Reserve
Aride Island Nature Reserve
A visit to Aride Island in Seychelles will show what the islands were like 250 years ago before human settlement. Aride is the northernmost island of the granitic Seychelles. It covers roughly 68 ha, is 1.6 km long and 0.6 km wide. Aride hosts one of the most important seabird populations in the Indian Ocean with more breeding species than any other island in Seychelles. The island is managed as a nature reserve by Island Conservation Society of Seychelles. The only human inhabitants in the island are the reserve’s staff, including the Island Manager, Conservation Officer and rangers.
The guided two-kilometre tour starts at the house of the former island owner and takes about two hours.
The island is covered by lush vegetation consisting of coconut palms as well as broadleaf trees, guavas, bananas, oranges, papayas, aubergines, ginger, turmeric, and chillies. The highly fragrant Wright’s gardenia is an endemic plant species which grows up to 6 m high and is decorated with red and white calyx. Because of their small, lemon-shaped fruits the locals gave them the name “bwa sitron”.
Island Conservation Society acquired the lease of the island in 2004, when the freehold was passed from Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts to Island Conservation Society UK. Island Conservation Society is a Seychelles NGO operating conservation centres throughout the islands.
Aride holds more seabird species than any other Seychelles island. The island has ten breeding species. Two of the bird species were formerly considered critically endangered by IUCN and conservation work on Aride has helped to secure their future. Reptiles include one of the highest population densities of lizards in the world. In every hectare there are over 2,700 Seychelles Skinks (lizards) and 1,100 Wright’s Skinks, plus five other lizard species, a snake, a terrapin and a giant tortoise.
Poaching leads to declining populations of most seabirds in Seychelles. Poaching comes during the Sooty Tern egg season, from late May to July, when boats visit mainly from Praslin to collect eggs and adult birds. Shearwaters are also a target; sacks of birds are often taken, their wings snapped off. The poaching of octopus and harvesting of sea cucumbers from within the reserve boundary is also problematic.
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