News and Blogs

  1. Latest News
  2. Cousin Island News
  3. Blue Economy Seychelles
  4. Green Health Blog
  • Research: Roaming seabirds need ocean-wide protection, research shows

    Unlike other oceans, which are known to have specific “hotspots” where predators, including seabirds, gather in large numbers to feed, the Indian Ocean lacks such concentrated feeding areas, a recent paper has revealed. This lack of hotspots is particularly concerning given the various threats seabirds face due to human activities.[…]

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  • Saya de Malha leaves for its third dFAD clean-up expedition

    (Seychelles Nation) The Saya de Malha vessel of the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) left Port Victoria yesterday afternoon for its third drifting Fishing Aggregate Devices (dFAD) expedition clean-up exercise in Seychelles territorial waters and shores of the outer islands. As customary since the first expedition in October 2022, students from Seychelles[…]

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Coming Soon!

Coral Aquaculture Facility!

coral aquaculture web banner

We have started work on the Assisted Recovery of Corals (ARC) facility to revolutionise our coral reef restoration process Learn more

Find Us On ...

Implementing the SDGs

At Nature Seychelles we are committed to working with government, development partners and donors in implementing relevant actions, in particular, looking at certain goals where we can build on our existing strengths. Read more

Seychelles Wildlife

Natural environment of the Seychelles

Seychelles is a unique environment, which sustains a very special biodiversity. It is special for a number of different reasons. These are the oldest oceanic islands to be found anywhere...

Bird Watching

Seychelles is a paradise for birdwatchers, you can easily see the unique land birds, the important sea bird colonies, and the host of migrants and vagrants. Some sea bird...

Seychelles Black Parrot

Black Parrot or Kato Nwar in Creolee is brown-grey in colour, not truly black. Many bird experts treat it as a local form of a species found in Madagascar and...

Fairy Tern

The Fairy (or white) Tern is a beautiful bird seen on all islands in Seychelles, even islands like Mahe where they are killed by introduced rats, cats and Barn Owls....

Introduced Land Birds

A little over two hundred years ago, there were no humans living permanently in Seychelles. When settlement occurred, people naturally brought with them the animals and plants they needed to...

Native Birds

Although over 190 different species of bird have been seen on or around the central islands of Seychelles (and the number is increasing all the time), many of these are...

Migrant Shore Birds

Shallow seas and estuaries are very rich in invertebrate life. Many birds feed on the worms, crabs and shellfish in these habitats; often, they have long bills for probing sand...

Seychelles Magpie Robin

The most endangered of the endemic birds, Seychelles Magpie Robin or Pi Santez in Creole, came close to extinction in the late twentieth century; in 1970 there were only about...

Seychelles Blue Pigeon

The Seychelles Blue Pigeon or Pizon Olande in Creole, spends much of its life in the canopy of trees and eats the fruits of figs, bwa dir, ylang ylang and...

Seychelles White-eye

The Seychelles White-eye or Zwazo Linet in Creole, is rare and endemic. They may sometimes be seen in gardens and forest over 300m at La Misere, Cascade and a few...

Seychelles Black Paradise Flycatcher

The Seychelles Black Paradise Flycatcher or the Vev in Creole is endemic to Seychelles, you cannot find this bird anywhere else on earth. Although it was once widespread on...

Seychelles Sunbird

The tiny sunbird or Kolibri in Creole, is one of the few endemic species that has thrived since humans arrived in the Seychelles.

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Achievements

  • Stopped near extinctions of birds +

    Down-listing of the critically endangered Seychelles warbler from Critically Endangered to Near Threatened. Other Seychelles birds have also been saved including the Seychelles Magpie Robin, Seychelles Fody, and the Seychelles
  • Restored whole island ecosystems +

    We transformed Cousin Island from a coconut plantation to a thriving vibrant and diverse island ecosystem. Success achieved on Cousin was replicated on other islands with similar conservation activities.
  • Championed climate change solutions +

    Nature Seychelles has risen to the climate change challenge in our region in creative ways to adapt to the inevitable changing of times.
  • Education and Awareness +

    We have been at the forefront of environmental education, particularly with schools and Wildlife clubs
  • Sustainable Tourism +

    We manage the award-winning eco-tourism programme on Cousin Island started in 1970
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Excavation work at The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary - view from the birdhide

An excavator, a couple of hours of dredging and several mounds of sand later, water flows freely once again in and out of the wetland. During this dry season grey herons and moorhens have been spotted on several occasions fishing in the more open areas of The Sanctuary as the water levels would sometimes drop considerably in their usual, more hidden spots.

Under the care of Nature Seychelles for the past nine years, The Sanctuary in Roche Caiman is the only managed urban wetland in the country. Nature Seychelles routinely clears the channel connecting the site to the sea, more so in the dry season, to allow water to flow in and out. This keeps the water as clean as possible and at a level that will adequately support the wildlife found here.

 Eric Blais, Nature Seychelles Coordinator giving instructions on the excavation work to be carried out

Nature Seychelles therefore recently contracted Earth Development pty ltd, a local construction company, to dig the channel a little deeper while also clearing sand that settles in the passage after a high tide. The excavation is done before the wet season to allow rainwater runoff from main road and sports complex to flow freely into sea

“Back in the day, cleaning and other maintenance work of such habitats was done by land owners living next to them. Recently, government has taken charge of this, outsourcing contractors to carry out such work mostly by rivers and wetlands, except at The Sanctuary” Dr Nirmal Shah, Nature Seychelles CEO explains.

 The Sanctuary has in the last few years proven its importance in protecting against flooding during the rainy season, as most wetlands do. Before this site was re-profiled several years ago, it was not uncommon for Nature Seychelles staff to be advised to stay home as heavy rains would render the adjacent road inaccessible. Additionally, the neighbouring Palais de Sport car park is also free from excessive rain runoff.

 The Sanctuary is teeming with wildlife

Wetlands are also vital for biodiversity owing to their diverse habitat characteristic. Hence, when The Sanctuary was enhanced the ecological services of the site and the wildlife diversity on the site increased.

Grey herons are not new to the site, but their numbers have increased such that instead of the one or two sighted occasionally, one can now see three to five every day, sometimes even nesting pairs! Other bird populations have also risen, including: terek sandpiper, common greenshank, yellow bitten, grey back heron, black-crowned night heron and the green back heron. The site has also attracted mangrove species such as the hermit crab, marine shrimps and mudskippers.

 Digging all the way to the sea 

Nature Seychelles strives to take care of this unique site for maximum habitat potential as well as for peoples’ enjoyment and education. Bird enthusiasts, school groups, and local as well as international tourists visit the just about every day.

“Nature Seychelles took charge of the maintenance responsibility at The Sanctuary, and continues to do so through our own resources, with no public or government funds,” Shah says. “It is essential that we carry out works such as excavation thereby ensuring that the ecosystem continues to flourish.”

Partners & Awards

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Our History

Since 1998.

Seychelles Nature, Green HealthClimate Change, Biodiversity Conservation & Sustainability Organisation

@CousinIsland Manager

Facebook: http://goo.gl/Q9lXM

Roche Caiman, Mahe

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We accept donations. Your support and generosity help us continue with our work in nature conservation in Seychelles. Email nature@seychelles.netdonate

Contact Us

Centre for Environment & Education

Roche Caiman,

P.O. Box 1310, Mahe, Seychelles

Tel:+ 248 2519090

Email: nature@seychelles.net