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Seychelles reserve gains prestigious award (1 Viewer)

Jane Turner

Well-known member
Cousin Island in the Seychelles has gained a prestigious Highly Commended award in the eleventh annual British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow awards. The competition showcases some of the world’s role models in responsible tourism and recognises organisations in the tourism industry that have made a positive contribution towards their local natural and cultural environment.

Cousin Island just missed out as Global Winner among 70 entries from 37 nations to the Bunaken National Marine Park in Indonesia. Cousin, which lies 2km off the coast of the tourist island of Praslin, and which is managed by BirdLife International’s Seychelles Partner, Nature Seychelles, was selected as "a model in sound ecotourism practices where conservation measures have assisted in bringing back species on the verge of extinction". Two examples include the Seychelles Warbler Acrocephalus sechellensis whose numbers have increased from only around 30 birds in 1968 when the island was purchased as a reserve, to more than 300 today of an estimated total global population of just over 2,000. The other rescued species is the Seychelles Magpie-robin Copsychus sechellarum where numbers have increased from only 15 individuals in 1965 to about 125 today.

Cousin is also the most important nesting site for Hawksbill Turtles in the Western Indian Ocean and hosts the world’s longest running monitoring programme for this species. It boasts a number of other reptiles (five being endemic), five Seychelles-endemic land birds and seven species of nesting seabirds. The Special Reserve also includes the surrounding marine area up to 400m offshore, harbouring globally-threatened fish such as the Humphead Parrotfish.

In addition to conservation, research and eco-tourism activities, Cousin Island offers opportunities for locals and tourists alike to learn more about the biodiversity of the island, with internship programmes for young people who eventually find employment on the reserve. Excellent working relations have been developed with the fishermen and the local community who have also secured employment in eco-tourism-related activities.

Cousin, which comprises the 27-hectare island and its coral reefs, attracts some 10,000 visitors a year and also caters for educational groups and locals. The island is open to visitors four days a week (Tuesday to Friday) but there is no overnight accommodation. Visitors pay an entry fee of US$25. Travel agencies are responsible for organising the transfer of foreign visitors to the island, where they are then transferred to the Cousin boat, a measure successfully implemented to prevent the accidental introduction of pests into the reserve.
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Nature Seychelles
Cousin Island's seabird colonies and other native birds and wildlife attract around 10,000 visitors a year
 
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