VICTORIA, Seychelles — Aldabra atoll, one of the world’s most remote and untouched natural wonders, has been ranked second among all marine World Heritage sites for species diversity and abundance. This remarkable recognition underscores Aldabra’s global importance as a sanctuary for marine life, and it comes with the added pride of local students’ involvement in the science behind the discovery.
From March 31 to April 4, 2023, 11 students and four teachers from the eco-school clubs embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to Aldabra. During their visit, they joined scientists to collect water samples from five different spots around the atoll as part of a pioneering global project using environmental DNA (eDNA) to study marine biodiversity. This project was led by the Unesco World Heritage Centre and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, aiming to create a global snapshot of marine life across 50 World Heritage sites.
Dr Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, chief executive of the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF), which manages the Aldabra Atoll, said a total of 830 different marine species were found in the 21 samples taken by citizen scientists, including 600 different fish species, five different mammals, 36 different shark species and one turtle species. Out of those, 19 species are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species, meaning that they are at risk of extinction if not properly protected. ‘With this it is very clear and underlining the importance of Aldabra as a marine protected area,’ she said.
