ICS launches conservation center on Platte Island in the Seychelles

Conservation efforts on Seychelles’ Platte Island have received a major boost with the launch of a new conservation center, managed by the Island Conservation Society (ICS). This initiative comes just a year after the Waldorf Astoria Hotel of the Hilton Group opened on the island, reflecting a strong commitment to protecting its unique biodiversity, including the largest nesting population of hawksbill turtles in Seychelles.

The center’s opening coincided with a visit from the trustees of the Platte Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in Seychelles. The delegation, comprising representatives from ICS, the Islands Development Company (IDC), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change, and Environment, also met with Hilton Group management to review conservation plans and discuss collaborative responsibilities.

Located 140 kilometers from Mahé, Platte Island has a rich and varied history, from guano mining, which altered its biodiversity, to being a refuge for leprosy sufferers and a quarantine station for ships.

The new staff interacting at the centre. (Island Conservation Society) Photo License: All Rights Reserved

Gregory Berke, ICS Director of Conservation and Science, expressed excitement over the new center. “This facility enables us to document the island’s wildlife and carry out crucial conservation activities. Before now, we had limited knowledge about the island’s flora and fauna, but with this center, we can implement appropriate management strategies.”

A key focus will be monitoring the island’s large lagoon, home to diverse marine life and serving as an important feeding ground for the critically endangered hawksbill turtles. The center will also conduct annual seabird population monitoring, with a focus on species like lesser noddies, providing essential data for the national census.

The ICS considers this a groundbreaking time for Platte Island, with much still to be discovered. As Berke noted, “We are proud to be the first conservation organization with a permanent presence here, contributing to the national species database.”

This is the seventh conservation center under ICS management in Seychelles, following the opening of another center in the Aldabra Group, where teams are stationed on both the Astove and Cosmoledo Atolls.