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Fighting the scourge of the Yellow Crazy Ants

22/1/2025

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Yellow Crazy Ants, or YCA (Anoplolepis gracilipes), were first identified on Mahe in the 1960s and a decade later on Praslin. In 2009, they gained more notoriety as an invasive species, posing a threat to two Nature Reserve on Praslin: the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Vallée de Mai, and Fond Peper. With their unique zigzagging movement, YCAs have an effective method of infesting areas by hitching rides with humans or any other means of transportation, allowing them to travel long distances and form super colonies with one or more queens. Additionally, this long-legged ant uses formic acid to paralyze and kill other species, regardless of their size. These characteristics render this species difficult if not impossible, to eradicate.

In 2023, following a possible identification, ICS introduced mandatory surveys to detect the presence of YCA on all of the six islands/atolls with a permanent presence. Following this, three islands - Alphonse, Desroches and Farquhar – confirmed the presence of YCA, prompting the Conservation NGO into action.  

​Desroches Island

On Desroches, the team identified YCAs in an area close to the tortoise sanctuary. This was immediately demarcated, and bait stations with small portions of jam were placed throughout the infested zone. Global Positioning System (GPS) points were taken to monitor eradication progress. By November 2024, the team had not recorded any more YCA on the island. “We acted quickly and effectively, and with the help of our partners, we have so far been able to prevent a re-introduction of YCA,” states Elisabeth Hein, the Conservation Officer on Desroches Island. However, the team is still cautious of a reintroduction through regular boats or flights that arrive on the island and remains vigilant in their monitoring of YCAs on the island.

Farquhar atoll
Farquhar Atoll presented a different challenge due to the extent of the infestation of YCA. Under the leadership of Seychellois Conservation Officer Priya Didon, the ICS team deployed jam bait alongside additional baits, such as Hymenopthor and Fipronil in heavily infested areas on Ile Du Nord where the human population lives. A colony of the Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) – a seabird species nesting on Ile Du Nord– was especially vulnerable given its proximity to the infested areas. Other small uninhabited islands of the atoll have so far remained unscathed. With the infested area demarcated, the team has so far deployed over 700 jam-baiting station on Ile Du Nord. “We are focusing on areas where the presence of YCA is confirmed. Other than that, we only use jam to check for their presence,” Didon states. However, heavy rainfall has hindered their progress, and the team is eager to get the situation under control.

Alphonse Group
On Alphonse, YCA was first detected in 2018 and more recently, has been spreading rapidly. Last year, the team launched a rigorous survey to identify the most infested areas on Alphonse, the main island in the group. According to the Conservation Officer Jack Coupland, the team deployed over 1,168 jam traps out of which 100 had one or more YCA in it. “The broad-scale baiting has helped us to identify areas where the ants are present. Now we are streamlining our efforts into a more localized bait deployment which will significantly reduce the population of YCA in a short period,” states Coupland. ICS is also relying on the expertise of its partners, including the hotels on the respective islands and the Islands Development Company (IDC) in this rigorous exercise which will also include using pesticides in areas where there are human residences and minimal risks to biodiversity. “This is a long-term eradication that will take different methods and concerted efforts by all the partners,’ adds Coupland.

Aride Island
Although Alphonse, Desroches and Farquhar, are the only islands with confirmed YCA infestations, ICS remains vigilant. Monthly surveys are now mandatory for all Conservation Centers, including Aride Island, a Special Nature Reserve which welcomes daily visitors from other islands. “We have amped up our biosecurity measures in view that there is a serious threat of YCA coming on Aride from Praslin,” states Emma Cotton, the Assistant Conservation Officer on Aride Island. “All visitors to the island are encouraged to bring as little as possible and should they disembark with bags, these are thoroughly searched for ants and other pests.” She adds that these measures will hopefully keep the ants away from the island which is an important nesting place for various species of seabirds.
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The impact of Yellow Crazy Ants (YCA) on biodiversity cannot be overstated, and the human and financial resources required for successful eradication are substantial. The control methods and protocols applied on islands with confirmed YCA infestations by ICS, demonstrate that only sustained commitment and significant investment can lead to their eradication.
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Aride Island Goes Green with Solar Power Installation

13/1/2025

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After years of relying on small backup generators, Aride Island has made a transformative leap towards sustainability by installing a state-of-the-art solar Photo-Voltaic plant.  This milestone project, made possible through generous donations from ICS’s international partners, including the Cadbury Trust, the Bower Trust, and ICS (UK), marks a significant step forward in energy self-sufficiency and the island’s conservation obligations.

Previously dependent on intermittent generator power, the Island Conservation Society (ICS) staff and residents now benefit from 24/7 clean energy. The new solar setup is a 3-phase 42 kWp plant of 99 solar panels, 18 kW of battery inverters, and 92 kWh of lithium-ion battery storage.

Anthony Bentley, Reserve Manager at Aride, highlights the dramatic improvements:
"Our lives have changed dramatically. We used to rely on generators with continuous issues, limited to just 10 hours of power daily—noon to 2 PM and 6 PM to 2 AM. Now, we enjoy full nights of uninterrupted sleep with ceiling fans running, and no one needs to wake up at 2 AM to turn off the generator!"
The benefits extend beyond comfort: fully functioning fridges and freezers ensure that perishable food stays fresh, and chilled drinks are readily available. “The quality of life has improved significantly,” Bentley adds.

The plant supplied and installed over five days by local Seychellois-owned company Energy Solutions Seychelles, promises longevity with solar panels expected to last 25 years, lithium-ion batteries and inverters for up to 15 years. To maximize efficiency, a climate-controlled room now houses the batteries and inverters, ensuring optimal performance through regular maintenance.

The next big sustainability project on Aride is the installation of its first desalination plant. Currently, drinking water is transported from Praslin, but plans are underway to install a desalination plant, providing the island with a self-sufficient, potable water supply.
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This solar initiative is more than a technological upgrade; it embodies Aride Special Reserve’s commitment to environmental stewardship, ensuring that this pristine natural reserve remains a beacon of sustainability for generations to come.
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A snapshot of 2024: A Year for Birds

13/1/2025

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From the Inner Islands of Aride and Silhouette to the newly opened Conservation Center on Ile Plate, the thriving and bursting conservation efforts on Alphonse, and the exciting discoveries of the new team on Desroches and Farquhar Atoll, in 2024 the Island Conservation Society (ICS) continued to provide remarkable data on the biodiversity and conservation of species of the Seychelles. Many new species were first recorded in 2024 which shows that there is much we do not know about our ecosystem, especially on the Outer Islands. One notable exciting part of the conservation work of ICS in 2024 was through bird monitoring where an incredible array of feathered visitors was spotted. Whether first-time sightings or annual travellers, the presence of our Avian visitors added to the wonder of our natural landscape. Here are some of the highlights from 2024:
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(Photo of a Gold morph White-tailed tropicbird on Alphonse by Kaeleah Andrew & Jack Coupland) ​

Cheers to Chick

After settling down on Île Plate, the new conservation team of ICS was eager to record the migratory birds on the island, particularly as the Southeast monsoon began. They were not let down, as the island's hidden treasures began to reveal themselves within weeks with the first ‘avian’ jackpot - a Red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda), and one which loved the island so much that it did not take long to lay an egg. This pure white, heavy-bodied tropicbird, with a large red bill and a thin red tail proudly displayed on ICS’ logo, is common in the Aldabra Group of Islands. It is known to turn up in small numbers on Aride, but this was the first sighting for Île Plate, located 130 kilometers south of Mahe. The chick, aptly named Platel, would spend at least 90 days before it will fly away in mid-January. Hopefully, it will return to the island to lay its eggs someday.
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(Photo of a Red-tailed tropicbird 
on Île Plate by Diary Mbolamahefa Rakotondrazara) ​

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(Photo of a Blue-cheeked bee-eater on Desroches Island by Elisabeth Hein and James Wareing) 
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Christmas-wrapped duck

At the end of the year, the Aride team joined the feathered party when they spotted a female Gadwall (Mareca strepera) in the marsh. It was the first record of this type of duck for Aride and only the third record for Seychelles. The first two records for Seychelles were also in December 2024. Incidentally, another Gadwall was spotted on the same day on Coetivy. Another interesting bird sighted in 2024 on Aride was the annual visitor to Seychelles - a White wagtail, which was seen feeding on the beach crest and around the village.

Striking gold

You must have heard of the species White-tailed tropicbird. But did you know that there is another morph of the White-tailed tropic bird that has a gold tail? Although it had been spotted before in Seychelles, in 2024 a Gold-tailed tropicbird morph was first spotted on Alphonse. Through DNA samples, the team hopes to confirm if this bird with its glittering yellow long tail could have originated from Christmas Island in Australia or is a rare golden morph of the Indian Ocean. A second most interesting sighting was that of a Banded martin. The large brown-and-white swallow with a band across the chest and a pale mark above the eye was the first record for the Western Indian Ocean. The Alphonse Group of islands was the chosen holiday destination for various other avian visitors, including the Great spotted cuckoo, a Eurasian golden oriole, a Black kite, a Little stint and a Greater short-toed lark; all deserving of a first sighting and, whenever possible, a photograph to document their presence.

Roll over in Feathers

​Another regular annual visitor which is always exciting to see was the Broad-billed roller (Eurystomus glaucurus) which was potted on Ile Du Nord, on Farquhar Atoll. The distinctive pale blue under tail-coverts indicated that this bird had come from Madagascar and not continental Africa where it is also found. For a few months, the team of young Seychellois conservationists could observe this visual spectacle with its bright yellow bill against a shade of lilac and brown plumage. 
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(Photo of a Broad-billed roller on Farquhar Atoll by Priya Didon & Liam Padayachy) 
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100th with blue cheeks

By the end of 2024, Desroches Island had recorded its 100 different bird species. The bird watching was hyped up with new equipment and the list of birds exuded feathered beauty from the Red-billed tropicbird (also known as “Payanke labek rouz”), the Eleonora’s falcon, a flock of Glossy ibis, a Sand martin and a Common redstart. The team also went “cuckoo” over a series of sightings of Cuckoo species in late December which included the Common cuckoo, the Lesser cuckoo and Jacobin cuckoo. The peeping sound of a ‘mystery moorhen’ and its long dangling legs as it flew kept the team on their toes but to this day, it has never been truly identified. Could it have been a new species for the island? We will never know. Ultimately, the chosen favourite bird spotted last year on Desroches was the Blue-cheeked bee-eater (Merops persicus) with its stunning colours. It captured our attention and was the envy of bird enthusiasts worldwide. 
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(Photo of a Gadwall on Aride Island by Anthony Bentley) ​
​2024 was a year for birds due to the sheer volume of sightings across Seychelles. These birds often migrate from Europe and Central Asia to Africa, with some stopping on the islands to rest or sometimes they are blown off course. Each observation contributes to a growing archive for Seychelles which is maintained by the Seychelles Bird Records Committee (SBRC). This long-term data helps to build our understanding of the migratory patterns and supports conservation efforts for these species, many of which face threats worldwide.
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Good news for a critically endangered Seychelles Species

10/1/2025

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Aride Island Special Nature Reserve is renowned as an important seabird colony site in the Indian Ocean, boasting the largest population of several seabird species globally. Yet, this year, it was a tree species unique to the island that captured the spotlight: the Rothmannia annae, commonly known as the Wright’s Gardenia or ‘Bwa sitron’ in Creole.
Wright’s Gardenia is endemic to Aride, meaning this small granitic inner Island of Seychelles of approximately 72 hectares, is the only place where this plant species occurs naturally in the world. This extremely limited geographical distribution means that the tree is classified as Critically Endangered and is featured on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In the past, this sturdy wood was harvested for firewood and hence in the late 1990s and early 2000 it became rare and then disappeared on all the islands of Seychelles, except for Aride.

The protection of this species has always been important for the Island Conservation Society (ICS) - which manages Aride Island, not only for aesthetics but also for biodiversity conservation. The Wright’s Gardenia has arguably, one of the most spectacular and scented flowers amongst the endemic trees of Seychelles. The white flowers tinged with tiny dots of purple and magenta has been immortalized on the 25 rupee note of Seychelles and stamps of Seychelles. The fruit itself is not a lemon or “sitron’ as its Creole name suggests, as - although folkloric says it is edible – it does not have many purpose in the local cuisine. Albeit its lack of purposeful use in modern times, ICS have collaborated with many organisations and individuals to reintroduce this endemic plant species on other islands. Hence, the Wright’s Gardenia can be spotted on islands such as Fregate, Silhouette and even on Praslin and Mahé.

On Aride, the Wright’s Gardenia grows best in rocky, nutrient-poor soil, mostly around the highest parts of the island.  Every five to seven years a detailed census is undertaken to locate and tag each tree growing on the island. This year, it took a team of eight staff and volunteers, 272 hours to find all the trees through dense foliage and challenging terrain. Once a Wright’s Gardenia tree is found, it is given a metal tag with its number on it, or if it is an old one, its tag number is recorded. A GPS point is recorded so the spread of the species across the island over time can be charted. Its height is also recorded, and any surrounding saplings, fruits and seedlings are counted. 

The result was astounding: a total of 2,913 trees, nearly 1,000 more trees than found in the last census in 2017. Some trees had over 1,000 seedlings, which indicates that this species is thriving on the island.  

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Gemma Reflects: The Challenges and Rewards of Volunteering on Aride Island, Special Reserve

10/1/2025

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Spending 12 weeks volunteering on Aride with ICS was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Although challenging, it was also incredibly rewarding.
 
My days consisted mostly of assisting the rangers with routine tasks, such as monitoring seabird breeding success, beach patrol, invasive plant removal, launching and landing the boat, and data entry. I also participated in the Wright’s gardenia census and the wedge-tailed and tropical shearwater census.
 
It was a privilege to live on and contribute to such a well-preserved and important nature reserve. The abundance and diversity of wildlife on Aride are unlike anywhere else, along with the proximity to nature at all times, with the wildlife literally on your doorstep, and often inside the house too.

But what makes Aride so special, is the people who call this island home. The passion for conservation and extensive knowledge of the ICS staff, along with their generosity, is what made this such an enjoyable experience. The memories of the delicious creole food made and shared by everyone are some of my fondest, I still think about the lentils and barbecued freshly caught fish often.

Whilst Aride Island is undoubtedly idyllic, life is far from luxurious, and living conditions are basic.
However, the things that were challenging when I first arrived, such as the heat, mosquitos, lack of power and clean water, I soon got used to, and they became an everyday part of life.
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8 weeks into my stay, the solar panels were finally up and running, which greatly improved the quality of life on the island. This highlighted what a privilege it is to have constant and reliable electricity, and I have never been so appreciative of having a working fridge and ceiling fan.
 
The 12 weeks I’ve spent on Aride have flown by. At the beginning of my stay 12 weeks felt like a lifetime, but now I can’t believe it’s already come to an end.
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