At the southern edge of the Amirantes, Alphonse lies 400 kilometres southwest of Victoria. It consists of 174 hectares of land, a lagoon of 540 hectares and reef flats of about 400 hectares. There is one narrow channel in the southwest, with depths of 4–10 metres allowing safe passage to small boats and the maximum depth in the lagoon is about 10 metres. The Alphonse group is usually included in the Amirantes, but lies 87 kilometres south of the main bank, from which it is separated by deep water. Separated from Alphonse by Canal la Mort, St. François Atoll covers 5,400 hectares of which about one-third is lagoon and two-thirds reef flats. There are two islands, Bijoutier in the north (less than 1 hectare), 405 kilometres southwest of Victoria and St. François in the south (17 hectares) a further 5 kilometres distant. From 1562, the whole Alphonse group is collectively named on Portuguese charts as San Francesco. Later, the islands were sighted by the crew of Le Lys, and on 27 June 1730 the main island was named to honour the birthday of the ship’s captain, Chevalier Alphonse de Pontevez. He also named St. François probably following the Portuguese name for the group.
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History
Alphonse was first charted by Portuguese navigators (as San Francisco) and later renamed in 1730 by the captain of the visiting French vessel in honour of himself. Many shipwrecks adorn the outer reef.
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Flora & Fauna
Large numbers of hawksbill and green turtles nest at Alphonse and St Francois. Seabirds breed at both locations and huge numbers of migrant waders feed in the lagoons.
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ICS Activity
Alphonse Island Conservation Centre opened in 2007. Activities focus on monitoring turtles and birds and restoring natural vegetation. ICS also carries out monitoring at neighbouring St Francois.
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In 1823, Alphonse was sold to Pierre, Michel and Joseph Huteau. There is a double tomb in the Alphonse graveyard, which, according to tradition, is that of a Monsieur and Madame Huteau. Other graves hold Henry Joseph, thought to have been a liberated African slave brought to Alphonse by the British in the 1860s, and Marcel Dupont, an island manager who died in 1908. In 1862, Alphonse was sold to the Daubans, who also owned Silhouette. The British authorities contested the legality of the sale, but Monsieur Dauban was granted legal title in 1866. However, disputes over ownership of the outer islands meant that Alphonse did not legally become part of Seychelles until 1881. Alphonse was a particularly fertile island, due to deposits of guano left by huge colonies of seabirds in the past, and between 1925 and 1955 over a million coconuts were harvested annually. A good harvest of 100,000 coconuts a month was usual in the 1930s, principally because the island was then free of the coconut pests and diseases, which affected other plantations. Alphonse Island Resort opened in 1999, the second hotel of the outer islands. The hotel is a popular base for fly-fishing activities at nearby St Francois Atoll.
In 2007, Alphonse Foundation was formed as a new NGO, bringing together Island Conservation Society, Islands Development Company, Alphonse Islands Resort and the Ministry of Environment. Alphonse island Conservation Centre opened the same year, the first conservation centre in the outer islands. An agreement was signed establishing a long-term basis for conservation and restoration of the ecosystems of Alphonse. Each party remains independent, but recognises the need to cooperate for the successful delivery of conservation. Under the agreement all conservation and science related projects on Alphonse Atoll and St Francois Atoll are carried out by ICS unless an agreed alternative is authorised by a meeting of the foundation.
The Alphonse Group has a number of features of national and international significance. These include:
In 2007, Alphonse Foundation was formed as a new NGO, bringing together Island Conservation Society, Islands Development Company, Alphonse Islands Resort and the Ministry of Environment. Alphonse island Conservation Centre opened the same year, the first conservation centre in the outer islands. An agreement was signed establishing a long-term basis for conservation and restoration of the ecosystems of Alphonse. Each party remains independent, but recognises the need to cooperate for the successful delivery of conservation. Under the agreement all conservation and science related projects on Alphonse Atoll and St Francois Atoll are carried out by ICS unless an agreed alternative is authorised by a meeting of the foundation.
The Alphonse Group has a number of features of national and international significance. These include:
- Feeding grounds for migrant waders, notably very large numbers of Crab Plovers. Numbers of Ruddy Turnstone, Saunders’s Tern and Black-naped Tern also exceed thresholds for classification as an Important Bird Area. Black-naped Terns breed on St. Francois and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters on Alphonse and Bijoutier. Frigatebirds roost in large numbers. Migrant and vagrant birds are frequently recorded including several species recorded nowhere else in Seychelles.
- The St. Francois lagoon ecosystem includes extensive mangrove forest, sandflats, seagrass beds and coral heads, high densities of crustaceans and sea cucumbers and fish including large numbers of sharks (particularly Lemon and Blacktip Reef, now scarce in Seychelles due to over-fishing), Manta and stingrays and an internationally renowned fishery for Bonefish. This is one of the most important foraging areas for immature turtles in the western Indian Ocean, and a world-class fly-fishing site.
- Alphonse lagoon has extensive seagrass beds, very large coral heads over 5 metres across, and good coral cover. Giant Clams are particularly abundant, turtles numerous, with large populations of reef fish including nationally rare species. Diving on the outer wall is world famous.
- Offshore waters provide rich seabird and cetacean feeding grounds and support good populations of pelagic and reef wall predators such as Yellowfin and Dogtooth
- Tuna, Wahoo, Black Marlin, Sailfish and large sharks (Hammerheads, Tiger, Silvertip and Bull).
- There are turtle nesting beaches and feeding grounds at all three islands support healthy nesting populations of Green and Hawksbill Turtles.
- Robber Crabs, now rare in Seychelles, are present in small numbers at St. Francois, occasionally at Alphonse.
Today, marine surveys carried out by ICS are providing information immediately relevant to global changes in marine biodiversity. Sea surface temperature loggers were installed at Alphonse and Bijoutier in 2008. These surveys provide a key element in building a picture of national marine biodiversity and interpreting changes. Temperature loggers installed in 2008 at Alphonse and Bijoutier will contribute to the understanding of national sea temperature fluctuations. Research by ICS is being conducted using satellite technology to shed light on the movements of turtles and boobies. Regular monitoring of birds and turtles is being conducted. Study of corals has shown variations in resilience and recovery following the 1998 bleaching event and sea-temperature loggers have been installed as part of a national network with a central database maintained by Seychelles Fishing Authority. The outlying location of the group makes it a valuable indicator of changes in the marine environment. Rehabilitation work includes the re-introduction or conservation introduction of native vegetation to replace coconuts, control and eradication of introduced plants, the rigorous application of protocols to prevent introduction of alien species (especially rats, absent at St Francois and Bijoutier) and the eradication of chickens, rats and cats.
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