This centre will cover conservation priorities on the Astove and Cosmoledo Atolls, part of The Aldabra Group of Islands, which are located 1,000 km from the main island of Mahé.
This group of islands has an exceptionally high biodiversity value and is home to rare, endangered, or endemic species like the Menai White-eye, the last nesting colony of Brown Boobies in the Seychelles and giant tortoises.
With historically low levels of human development and limited fishing pressures, The Aldabra Group has one of the least impacted coral reefs in the region.
The main conservation priorities for the new centre will be invasive species eradication and the reintroduction of native species.
It will also undertake habitat assessments and determine population sizes of endangered species and a complete bird census.
Invasive species like non-native mammals such as rats, cats, and goats have a huge impact on bird, invertebrate, and vegetation diversity and small, isolated islands are the most vulnerable.
The result of these long-term eradication plans will help increase habitat and the successful reintroduction for seabirds.
The centre will also undertake an annual sooty tern census on Cosmoledo Atoll, and check the nesting success of other seabirds, such as Red Footed and Masked Boobies.
The opening of this new centre is one step in encouraging and amplifying land and marine conservation in the Outer Islands of Seychelles. Astove Atoll was first ‘discovered’ between 1000 and 1500 AD but was not inhabited until 1760, when a Portuguese ship ran aground.
After 250 years of inhabitation, the atoll was abandoned, and nature was left to take over and thrive. In 2014, Astove Atoll was declared a nature reserve securing its protection for decades to come.
Becky Hampson at becky@storringtonpr.com
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