New conservation centre opens on Seychelles' Platte Island
The Island Conservation Society (ICS) has unveiled a new conservation centre on Platte Island, Seychelles, marking a significant step in protecting the island's unique biodiversity. The centre, which opened less than a year after the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, aims to safeguard the island's wildlife, including its substantial hawksbill turtle nesting population.
The opening coincided with a visit from the Platte Foundation trustees, who met with Hilton Group management and inspected the conservation team's facilities. Gregory Berke, ICS Director of Conservation and Science, highlighted the centre's role in documenting and managing the island's flora and fauna.
Key conservation efforts will focus on monitoring the island's large lagoon, a crucial feeding ground for marine species, particularly the endangered hawksbill turtles. The ICS also plans to track seabird populations, contributing to the national census and potentially witnessing the return of extinct species like sooty terns.
This marks ICS's seventh conservation centre in Seychelles, solidifying their presence across all six island groups in the archipelago.
Source: Seychelles News Agency