Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Tourism is the largest sector of the Seychelles economy, accounting for 26 per cent of GDP and employing over one-third of the country’s workforce in 2008. A record 230,272 tourists visited the country in 2013 [ ] 200 Conserving the world’s largest seed The coco-de-mer palm Lodoicea maldivica, endemic to the Seychelles and classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, is a national flagship species for tourism and conservation. The species occurs in three main popu- lations, with the largest at the World Heritage Site of the Vallée de Mai, which is managed by the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF). Histori- cally the main threats have been fire and development; however, over the last 30 years no drastic reductions in numbers have been recorded. The species famously bears the largest seed of any plant, for which it is in great demand. As a result it has been heavily exploited across its lim- ited range for the last 15 years, when instructions were issued to ensure the complete removal of all nuts from the forest to prevent poaching. Even then, it was known that such harvesting levels would not be possible to main- tain indefinitely but because the coco- de-mer is so long-lived (up to several hundred years). In addition, many facets of its biology are still completely unknown, making it difficult to assess sustainable limits to harvesting. The Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF) has therefore been running a long-term programme of research and moni- toring to improve management and ensure long-term viability of the coco- de-mer which has already led to several significant outcomes for the species. Sustainable harvesting: Research- ers from ETH Zurich collaborated in demographic modelling using population matrix models to identify the life stages of the coco-de-mer with the strongest influence on population dynamics as well as the consequences of current harvesting intensities. An initial population model was devel- oped based on available data. Popu- lation growth rate under current and alternative harvesting regimes was estimated, accounting for uncertainty regarding adult mortality and lifespan. Model projections of the pop- ulation under current harvesting intensities predict a marked decrease in the proportion of juveniles in the population and a gradually declining population over the next 200 years. Population growth rates were most sensitive to adult survival, reflect- ing the long generation time of this species. Based on the preliminary model a precautionary sustainable harvesting limit was proposed, which is currently being followed up and implemented by SIF. The research group also quantified morphological and genetic differenti- ation among the three main coco- de-mer populations. All populations were relatively genetically diverse with remarkably little differentiation among populations although the re- sults suggest that the capacity to dom- inate across a range of habitats may be due to high phenotypic plasticity and that seeds should not be transferred between island populations. T he Republic of Seychelles in the southwest Indian Ocean consists of 115 islands, which are the only oceanic islands in the world of continental, granite, origin and are of considerable ecological interest, having been isolated from continental landmasses for 65 million years. The Seychelles is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International and a centre of plant biodiversity by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Endemism is high, at 50–85 per cent for different animal groups and approximately 45 per cent for plants. The government has launched a project to conserve one of the country’s most iconic plants, the coco-de-mer palm. Praslin, Seychelles Tommaso Nervegna on Unsplash Seychelles