A very important day is approaching for the Vallée de Mai. On December 9 the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the inscription of the Vallée de Mai as a Unesco World Heritage Site, which means the celebration of 30 years of protection, research and promotion of this Garden of Eden. 

Seychelles has the great fortune of having one of the most pristine low and intermediate altitude palm forests in the world, which has changed little across the epochs of time. The Vallée de Mai’s ecology is dominated by endemic palms, including Palmis, Latannyen Fey, Latannyen Lat, Latannyen Milpat, and one of the most beloved species of Seychellois people, the giant and unique coco de mer. 

The Vallée de Mai is also home to many endemic animals, including the enigmatic Giant Bronze Gecko and the Black Parrot. 

This privileged status is unfortunately threatened by a serious menace. Invasive alien species, either plants or animals, are species introduced accidentally (e.g. on boats or in transported materials) or intentionally (e.g. as food, pets, or ornaments) which are capable of settling and exploiting resources more effectively than native species, harming the new host environment.

Among the most threatening introduced animals present at the Vallée de Mai are Black Rats, Tenrecs and the Yellow Crazy Ant. The Yellow Crazy Ant, for example, is listed among the 100 most devastating invaders of the world, and is capable of preying on much bigger animals such as crabs, reptiles and birds. Several surveys have been carried out by the SIF team to determine the distribution and abundance of this species at the Vallée de Mai. In the case of plants, their capacity for rapidly spreading and ‘smothering’ natives, stealing their light and/or water, puts the continued preservation of the forest in jeopardy. Activities to assess the threat status of introduced plants at the Vallée are ongoing. During the last year, a survey identified the distribution of 48 alien plant species including kannel, prin-de-frans, kalis dipap, lavannir, bwa ber, karoutsou, gouyav desin and vya tang. These invasive species account for more than the half of the 90 plant species present at the Vallée de Mai. 

The SIF invasive alien species team in the Vallée de Mai, under the European Union funded invasive species project, is currently running several trials which will identify the most effective ways of managing the different invasive species. In parallel, SIF is increasing its outreach and educational activities on invasive species while highlighting the importance of native species conservation, with both children and adults. It is hoped that these activities will help to tackle the problem at its root, by making people aware of the pathways of accidental and intentional species introductions and their subsequent spread and problems. 

Only with these combined actions, management and prevention,will we be able to conserve the richness of biodiversity and the incredible natural beauty of the Vallée de Mai, hopefully for many years to come.

Forrás: www.nation.sc