At the end of April, Cousin Island was privileged to receive Royal Society fellow, House of Lords peer and former Principal of Jesus College, Oxford, Professor Lord John Krebs and his wife Sarah Phibbs.

It was December in Canada when I heard help was needed on Cousin Island’s Special Reserve. I hadn’t even heard of the Seychelles but I packed my things and hopped on a plane without expectations. A few planes, trains and countries later, I landed in paradise.

The Seychelles island of Assumption(Source: SNA photo by J van de Crommenacker)

The Aldbara group including waters around Assumption island will be designated as protected areas by February 2019, under a process called the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) Initiative. Another area to also be protected is the Amirantes groups. The Aldabra Group and is being nominated for ‘Marine National Park’ and is described by the Marine Spatial Plan as a High Biodiversity Protection. (Source SNA). This area is now the target of bitter protests.

In 2018 we’re all about numbers at Nature Seychelles. 50 years since Cousin Island Special Reserve became a protected nature reserve and 20 years of the existence of Nature Seychelles as a conservation organisation, the Birdlife Partner in Seychelles.