• ‘Another jewel to our conservation success’

The island group of D’Arros has been officially declared a protected nature reserve under the Nature Parks and Conservancy Act.

According to a communiqué from the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the group of islands, which includes the privately-owned island of D’Arros and the St Joseph atoll, situated only 2 kilometres to the east, has been officially made a nature reserve in accordance to “the wishes of the owner of the D'Arros Island Group and conditions of the government sanction over the sale of the property.”

The nature reserve, which is already being managed by the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Energy, is already engaged in a wide range of conservation and education activities. 

The SOSF is already implementing a research programme approved by the Ministry of Environment and Energy. 

The new nature reserve includes a protected marine area extending one kilometre from D’Arros and St Joseph measured from the furthest reef edge at lowest astronomical tide. 

According to the minsitry, the entire St Joseph atoll has become a special reserve in order to preserve its unique biodiversity, while part of the D’Arros Island will be set aside for consideration as a Ramsar Wetland Site. 

A 10-year plan has been devised and implemented to reintroduce and rehabilitate endemic species in order to restore some of the original habitat. D'Arros Island, which is also rat free, will remain the main settlement in the atoll and host facilities for research and education.

In order to share the knowledge of this natural heritage with the children of the Seychelles, the SOSF will continue to organise twice per year, in collaboration with the ministries of Environment and of Education, two education camps of one week each on D’Arros and St Joseph islands along with scientists of SOSF. 

Four educational camps already took place at the end of April 2013 and end of April 2014. 
In order to increase awareness of the environmental biodiversity of D’Arros, exhibits will be organised in Victoria, both for the population of Seychelles and for tourists.

The Minister for Environment and Energy Prof. Rolph Payet said we should all be proud that we have added another jewel to our conservation success and the benefits to Seychelles will go beyond present generations. 

“Our outer islands remain part of our unique biodiversity heritage and together with Aldabra will lay the ground for a network of protected areas within the outer islands of the Seychelles,” Prof. Payet said. 

“Protected areas will also benefit Seychelles economically in terms of providing important refugia for fish and other marine life,” added Prof. Payet. 

Dr Michael Scholl, chief executive of the SOSF, commented: “We are fortunate to be able to observe the life of several species close to our foundation. There are in particular many sharks, manta ray or turtles. The extraordinary wild life of this unique piece of land, will also allow us to implement several research programmes. 

“There is also unique density of birds who are coming back to breed on the islands since we started to reintroduce its original vegetation. This will allow us to perform a detailed inventory of the flora and of the animals present of this exceptional natural site, not only for the Seychelles but also for the natural heritage of mankind.”

Committed since 2003 to the protection of the marine environment in many parts of the world, the SOSF has grown to become a major player in the fight to save the world’s oceans and the wealth of marine life they contain. The management of the island and its neighbouring atoll is thus part of the normal development of the activities of the SOSF which has, since 2003, supported over 150 projects across the world.

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