ConservationThe Granitic Seychelles are an isolated collection of islands that hold numerous animal and plant species that live no where else in the world. Disturbingly, out of all the endemic plant species on the islands, 2-6% are already extinct and another 70% are endangered (1). Despite these grim statistics, work is actively being done on the Seychelles to conserve the forests, thereby protecting their rich biodiversity. Recently, a national park was created on the island of Réunion of over 1000 square kilometers which greatly increases the amount of protected natural forest cover (1). Although this is an important step in the right direction, a large part of the unique collection of organisms that live on these islands may be lost forever if major conservation and restoration work is not continued. |
The coco de mer tree is endemic to the Seychelles and bears the largest nut of any plant species. The high exploitation of the nut from this tree, along with agriculture and development, threaten this plant, however with proper management, this emblematic species may be able to recover (2).
Cinnamomum verum is one of the top three most common invasive tree species on the Seychelles and experiences less herbivory than native flora on the islands (3).
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