ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE POPULATION REACHES RECORD 180,000

A survey of Aldabra giant tortoises on Aldabra Atoll in Seychelles has found approximately 180,000 of the animals, the highest figure ever recorded for the species, according to the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) and the University of Exeter. The study, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, estimated almost 183,000 adult and sub-adult tortoises, based on five years of counts carried out between 2018 and 2022. The figure now exceeds the human population of Seychelles. It is the first update to the population estimate since a widely cited figure of around 100,000 tortoises from the late 1990s. Dr Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, chief executive of SIF and an author of the study, said more than 180,000 tortoises roaming freely on the atoll showed what long-term commitment to conservation could achieve.

Aldabra Atoll is one of only two places in the world where giant tortoises live in the wild, alongside a smaller population in the Galápagos. In the 19th century, exploitation of the animals for food by sailors and other seafarers reduced numbers on the atoll to fewer than 1,000. A recovery effort followed, with Aldabra designated a strict nature reserve in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. Dr Nancy Bunbury, a co-author of the study, said the atoll's monitoring programme was one of the longest-running in the region, but that its dense vegetation made counting the tortoises difficult in places.

Researchers said the new survey, which modelled areas where tortoises could not be directly observed as well as those that were counted, produced the most reliable baseline yet for the species and would serve as a benchmark for tracking the population in future decades. The study found the population had remained relatively stable over the survey period. The study's authors said continued vigilance was essential despite the positive findings. Researchers described the recovery as among the most significant conservation achievements in the Indian Ocean region.