The Hawksbill season has already begun on a positive note for the ICS team on Desroches Island. This week, they observed a female Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) successfully nesting in the bushes in front of a villa at the Four Seasons Hotel. After she laid her eggs, the team took the opportunity to check her tag, which, to their surprise, showed she had visited Desroches 15 years earlier! What’s more is that it laid eggs just a few meters away from its first nest location.

‘Once we realized it was a returning female turtle, we checked the GPS (Global Positioning System) data from our archives dating back to 2009, when ICS first arrived on the island, and were able to determine that it’s not just a returning turtle - it’s a turtle that had a special spot on the island where she wanted to lay eggs again!” said James Wareing, Assistant Conservation Officer of ICS on Desroches Island.
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Wareing stated that this is not just one of the oldest tagged turtles ICS has recorded on the island, but also for Seychelles. Since turtles lay clutches of eggs more than once, Wareing is confident that the female will return during this nesting season, which will end around March. He also noted that the nesting season has started fairly late on Desroches – around the middle of October, compared to August and September in previous years.
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“From our data, a late start in the season usually means that we will see fewer hawksbill turtles this year compared to other years. This highlights the need to continue conservation efforts,” added Wareing.  
On average, Desroches welcomes over 30 Hawksbills annually, with more than 100 nests recorded per year. This is significantly fewer than Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas), which lay eggs all year-round. Over 70 female Green Turtles nest on Desroches each year, totaling around 400 nests. Listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the number of Green Turtles on Desroches has nearly doubled since ICS began collecting data in 2009. In contrast, Hawksbill turtles remain Critically Endangered, making the return of another individual to a Seychelles island an event worth celebrating.

​The Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) is a seabird that was once common on many islands of Seychelles. Like many species, it was wiped out following the arrival of humans, who hunted them for food. With Booby translating to ‘foolish’, its Creole name, ‘fou bet’, refers to how easy it was to catch these duck-sized birds. Today, several colonies still exist across various islands in Seychelles, with the primary breeding colony established on Farquhar Atoll.
 
In the Alphonse Group of Islands, Red-footed Boobies frequently visit St François Atoll, which spans approximately 5,400 hectares and includes both lagoon and reef flats. The Island Conservation Society (ICS) has been monitoring this species on Alphonse since 2007, and its population has consistently grown over that period.
Although Red-footed Boobies have been roosting on St Francois in the tens of thousands for many years, the first breeding attempt of this species within the Alphonse Group was recorded in 2019 on St François. By 2023, this number had grown to 15 pairs. This season, the conservation team has recorded an astounding 213 nests. With regular fledgling and failures, it is difficult to determine the exact breeding population, but this gives a valuable insight into the minimum number of breeding pairs.
 
Following the increase of nesting pairs, the team on Alphonse conducted a census of roosting individuals in September. Although a good number are present during the day, a majority return to the island in the late evening. Therefore, the team camped overnight on St François, conducting bird counts between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. at 63 plots across the island. All birds within each plot were counted, and numbers were then calculated across suitable habitat, resulting in an estimated total of 82,794 roosting individuals. With sea conditions causing a delay in the timing of the census, it did not coincide with the peak roosting season, which data suggests to be July/August.  This is thought to be the reason numbers were significantly lower compared to the last census conducted in July 2016, where over 250,000 roosting birds were estimated. The team plans to test this theory in the coming season if conditions allow.
 
Although the Red-footed Booby is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, several initiatives have been launched to monitor its movements. Research has explored its foraging behavior to guide marine protected area planning and conservation strategies across different sub-colonies in Seychelles. For ICS on Alphonse, monitoring the Red-footed Booby is essential for assessing population health, tracking trends, and evaluating the condition of marine ecosystems. These efforts also help protect the island, ensuring it remains a haven for these birds. By fostering awareness and appreciation for Seychelles’ biodiversity, this information will contribute significantly to the protection of the species, with the hope that St François will one day become another key breeding ground for the red-footed boobies.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 17, 2025

Island Conservation Society (ICS), author of the Environment Impact Assessment (ESIA) for Assomption, welcomes the decision of the present Government and the Ministry of Environment to issue a prohibition order to the developers in view of non-compliance and breaches of the several conditions of the ESIA. Whilst irreversible harm has already occurred due to the non-compliance with the conditions and mitigation measures set forth in the ESIA and the Notice of Acceptance (NOA), ICS is hopeful that measures can be implemented swiftly to begin assessment and rehabilitation of the ecosystems on the island. 

The completion of biodiversity assessments to fully document the flora and fauna of the island remains one of the most important aspects highlighted by the ESIA. Until a comprehensive assessment of the whole island covering the different seasons on the island has been completed it will be impossible to ensure that operational activities on the island do not pose additional dangers than those already impacted by the construction activities. 

ICS is confident that if the proper measures highlighted in the ESIA and supporting documents are implemented during both construction and operational phases of the development, both development and nature can coexist on the island and ICS is keen to support Government and the developers in their efforts to ensure that all the measures set forth in the ESIA and NOA are fully adhered to and completed to the highest level.

ICS which had previously been excluded from oversight over the biodiversity assessment and implementation of the biosecurity management plan, now looks forward to being actively engaged in the processes and the way forward with all other relevant stakeholders.

...............ENDS............

Born in a family of seven, Christopher (or Topher as he is affectionately called) spent most of his youth on Praslin Island, where he attended school. After two years at the Maritime Academy, he went to Alphonse and worked as a divemaster for 2years, then returned home and occasionally worked in construction with his dad. But the ocean continued to call.

“Every so often, I will spend a stint at sea with some company or other, but I was still unsure what I wanted to do,” said Christopher. At the maritime academy, he had spent his attachment onboard Lady Esme and Lady Genevieve, two cargo ships of the Islands Development Company (IDC), and to this day, he felt that it was this experience that truly made him fall in love with the Outer Islands of Seychelles.
Behind his sunglasses, it is not clear where his mind goes as he stands on the beach on the main island of the Alphonse Group. This tanned, dreadlocked young man is now in his forties and himself a father to a son. Christopher first arrived on Alphonse in 2002, where he worked as a dive master for two years. He did not stay for long, but who would have thought that Alphonse would have a hold on his heart?
After two years on Alphonse, like many young Seychellois yearning for a career at sea, Christopher joined the Indian Ocean Explorer for a diving trip in the outer islands. After that, he did some other odd jobs. And then destiny called.  

“In 2014, my mom told me that there was a position for a Ranger being advertised for Alphonse and Aride by the Islands Conservation Society (ICS). I did not have any preference for either island, but during the interview, I told them I had been to Alphonse already, and that made me successful for the post.”
Conservation was nothing new for Christopher. His mother is a well-known tour guide with expertise in the flora and fauna of Seychelles. His older brother had also worked on Aldabra atoll and D’Arros, so he was keen to expand his knowledge further.

This year, it would be 11 years since Christopher joined ICS, and during all this time, he has stayed permanently on Alphonse, climbing the ranks to Senior Conservation Ranger. 
As he navigates the mini-mahé through the “kannal lanmor” in a bid to reach the St Francois Atoll in time before the tide changes, Christopher shows a mastery of the current in the area that takes years to understand.

“I did not expect to stay this long, but compared to other islands, I found that there is more to learn here, especially in marine-related projects, and continuity is important for such projects, such as satellite tracking of Hawksbill & Green turtles, Red-footed boobies and Frigate, the BRUVs, etc.”

In the vast lagoon of St Francois, the shallow water teeming with large porcupine rays and juvenile sharks, Christopher guides his team to shore. Over 110 bird species have been recorded in the Alphonse Group, making it one of the richest birding sites in the Seychelles outside of Aldabra. Alphonse is also an important nesting and foraging ground for hawksbill and Green turtles, but the marine life is equally impressive, with sharks, rays, dolphins, and other megafauna such as whale sharks regularly spotted.

“I have snorkeled with humpback whales once and dived with bull sharks too!’ he added enthusiastically. “I am not scared of them. If you remain calm, they will come to check you out and leave.”  
Christopher has also had the chance to work on other expeditions, such as Pangea, which explored Cosmoledo, Astove, Providence, St. Pierre, and Farquhar.

After exchanging a few stories about his adventures, Christopher recounts that his best memories have been with the Ocean X, where he went on a submarine dive 1,000 meters below the sea. “I spent around 8 hours in that submarine, and the creatures we saw, including the Dumbo octopus, I have never seen in my life. It was simply amazing!”

Christopher is also grateful to all the Conservation Officers and Assistants, who have helped mold him into who he is. “I have been privileged to work with people who were selfless and ready to share their knowledge with me. In return, I have done the same to all who came to work with me.”
In his easy, polite, and wide-laugh manner, perhaps that comes with island life, Christopher says he might have to move closer to home and family soon.

With a tinge of sadness, he added. “I have no regrets. I have done so many things here, and I have enjoyed Alphonse. The island has become a second home to me.” But the regrets are there, for Christopher says he will be happy to come and help if needed. 

“When I started working on the Outer Islands, it was not easy, but I got used to missing birthdays and so many other things,” Christopher says. “I will not change anything if I could redo it all again. Working on the Outer Islands is a lifetime opportunity to visit and discover what many people will never get to see. It’s not easy, but it's not easy anywhere.”
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With a few wise words, Christopher enthusiastically starts the engine again. It’s time to go back. The ocean has been good to us. We have seen dolphins today. The ocean gives to those who love it back.