Seychelles has a healthy population of more than one hundred thousand tortoises roaming on the Aldabra atoll – one of the country’s two world heritage sites.

From October last year to January 2012, personnel from the wildlife, trade and conservation section in the environment department conducted a census to determine the number of land tortoises being kept in captivity on the main granitic islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue.

Altogether 3,099 tortoises were recorded on the three inner islands but the estimated number could well be over 4,500 individuals.

A total of 2,757 tortoises were recorded on Mahe, 205 on Praslin and 137 on La Digue and these numbers are expected to increase in the future.

By category the census recorded 775 females, 873 males, 570 juveniles, 145 immature and 736 babies.

Mahe island shows a greater increase in tortoises from the 1998 census which recorded 1,715 individuals. The 2011 census recorded 2,757 individuals. The increase in the numbers on Praslin was not significant – from 175 in 1998 to 205 in 2011.

The exercise is a follow-up to the one conducted in 1997 and is part of ongoing efforts under an international convention, which Seychelles has ratified, to ensure the long-term conservation of this species. It also forms part of non-detrimental findings to assess sustainability of trade in the species.

The Seychelles giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) is on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (Cites) and this means that export of this species is legally possible only under the convention export conditions. Export of tortoises from Seychelles is permitted only from captive-bred stocks that are found on the main granitic islands. Cites does not allow transactions in tortoises that are found on Aldabra, hence ensuring the long-term conservation of an endemic species that is being commercially traded.

Other objectives of the census were to assess living conditions and provide advice on the species’ well-being especially in terms of water, food and shade availability. This is to determine whether there has been an increase or decrease of giant tortoises on these islands, to ensure that we have a healthy stock of mature tortoises, to ensure the long-term conservation of this species and to have an estimate on the captive-bred by evaluating population trends in terms of population size and sex ratio.

Prior to the census, an advert was placed in the Seychelles Nation newspaper as well as on Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) TV to inform members of the public about it.

In an interview, conservation director Ronley Fanchette asked members of the public to voluntarily declare their tortoises.

After the conservation staff within the environment department had visited owners of tortoises, they were issued with a certificate. Although a lot of people had called, door to door visits were made in order to register the highest number of tortoises.

The majority of places visited were seen as favorable for the tortoises in terms of food, water and space availability. At other localities, owners were advised how to improve living conditions of their tortoises, this included the removal of concrete surfaces, increasing the amount of water, ensuring that they have sufficient food to eat and so on. In general, the people were very receptive.

A positive aspect of the census is that some people are concerned about the well-being of the species and this plays an important role in its conservation. During the census, all the districts on all three islands were visited; however, there is the possibility that certain areas were not covered. Owners who are without a certificate are being advised to contact the environment department to register their tortoises.

A census alone is not enough. It will be followed by education, habitat protection, establishing positive links with owners and captive-breeding programmes.

This exercise serves as a continuous effort by the conservation section to ensure that there is a healthy stock of captive-bred tortoises in Seychelles. Even if it is not listed as a critically endangered species, its well-being and continuous monitoring is essential.

Seychelles has a healthy stock of tortoises and wants to ensure this positive trend despite the sustainable trade of this species, i.e. baby tortoises less than 30cm are allowed for exportation and mature tortoises are only exported for educational and diplomatic reasons.

The results show that we have a stable population of captive-bred tortoises, but there is however a need for more public awareness, i.e. on improving living conditions, especially during the breeding season.

Data collected from surveys and other monitoring programmes allows for timely and effective decision-making that ensures trade is not detrimental to the long-term conservation of the species.

Contributed by the environment department

Forrás: www.nation.sc