How the Alphonse Group is Leading Turtle Conservation in Seychelles

Thursday, May 23, 2024

The Outer Islands of the Seychelles are sandy coral cays boasting miles of pristine white beaches, which serve as crucial nesting sites for Green and Hawksbill Turtles in the Indian Ocean. The Alphonse Group is no exception. Since 2007, the Islands Conservation Society (ICS) of Blue Safari Seychelles has been monitoring the nesting success of these species, creating one of the longest-running databases in the Seychelles.

This invaluable resource provides a comprehensive overview of the health of these critically endangered species around the islands. When nesting females are encountered, the conservation team attaches a flipper tag with a serial number. This allows for tracking nesting frequency and site fidelity when the female is seen again.

Since the 1994 ban on harvesting sea turtles for meat in Seychelles, the number of nesting turtles across the atolls has increased. Due to turtles being long-lived, slow-reproducing animals, the positive effects of this ban have taken years to manifest, underscoring the importance of long-term databases like those maintained by ICS.

Currently, 130 Green Turtles nest around the Alphonse Group. These turtles nest exclusively at night when it’s cooler, with peak nesting activity from June to September. In contrast, 76 Hawksbills nest during the day from October to March, with eggs of both species taking around 60 days to hatch. Although females lay three to four clutches of 120-150 eggs each nesting season, juvenile survival rates are incredibly low, with only one in 500 reaching adulthood. The lack of fishing pressure around the Alphonse Group has led to a high number of predators, including Herons, Crabs, and Frigatebirds on the beach, and Giant Trevally, Moray Eels, and Sharks in the shallows.

Given the challenges baby turtles face, Blue Safari Seychelles ensures their resorts are as ‘turtle-friendly’ as possible by adhering to regional expert advice. Their protection methods include:

• Using red or green lighting on beach-side guest rooms to avoid impacting turtle eyesight, preventing hatchling disorientation.
• Maintaining beach-crest vegetation and setting rooms back at least 25 meters from the beach crest to minimize light pollution and disturbance to nesting females.
• Installing blackout curtains on ocean-facing windows, using solar lanterns and clip-on LED menu lights in beachside dining areas, and employing low-lumen, hooded roadside lighting to prevent hatchling disorientation.
• Prohibiting heavy machinery on beaches and avoiding beach alterations, except in areas where erosion threatens critical infrastructure.
• Encouraging guests to join the conservation team on daily turtle patrols.

Protecting turtles during critical life stages like nesting and hatching is essential, but so is understanding their migrations and incorporating foraging grounds into protected areas. In 2017/2018, ten post-nesting female turtles were fitted with satellite tags for tracking. Two Green Turtles traveled to Boudeuse, one stayed south of St Francois, and four traveled to East Africa. One made an impressive journey of over 3,984 km to Northern Kenya, where she stayed for 119 days until her device stopped transmitting. The two tagged Hawksbills traveled northwards to the Seychelles bank and Ile Platte. This project was implemented by ICS in collaboration with the Alphonse Foundation and Luth Association.

Blue Safari Seychelles combines sustainable travel with luxury accommodation, offering guests unforgettable experiences and the highest level of attentive service.