{"id":2386,"date":"2026-10-09T13:03:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T08:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=2386"},"modified":"2026-10-09T13:03:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T08:03:53","slug":"seychelles-atoll-records-nearly-183000-giant-tortoises-in-conservation-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=2386","title":{"rendered":"Seychelles atoll records nearly 183,000 giant tortoises in conservation success"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The population of Aldabra giant tortoises in Seychelles has reached an estimated 183,000 adult and sub-adult animals, according to a new study, marking a major conservation success for a species that was once pushed close to extinction.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The survey, led by the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) and the University of Exeter, found that approximately 180,000 giant tortoises live freely on Aldabra Atoll.<\/p>\n

The figure is the highest recorded for the species and far exceeds the human population of Seychelles.<\/p>\n

Researchers analysed five years of tortoise counts conducted between 2018 and 2022. The findings, published in the scientific journal Ecology and Evolution, provide the first major update since an estimate of 100,000 tortoises was widely cited in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n

Aldabra Atoll is one of only two places in the world where giant tortoises live in the wild, with the other population found in the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands.<\/p>\n

Dr Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, chief executive of SIF, said the presence of more than 180,000 freely roaming tortoises demonstrated what sustained conservation efforts could achieve. She described the findings as encouraging news for Seychelles and the wider international conservation community.<\/p>\n

<\/a>From near extinction to recovery<\/h3>\n

During the 19th century, exploitation of the animals reduced the Aldabra giant tortoise population to fewer than 1,000.<\/p>\n

Conservation efforts helped reverse the decline, with the atoll designated a strict nature reserve in 1981 and recognised as a UNESCO site in 1982.<\/p>\n

Researchers described the recovery as one of the Indian Ocean\u2019s major conservation achievements. The latest study found that the population remained relatively stable during the survey period.<\/p>\n

Dr Nancy Bunbury, a co-author of the study, said monitoring the tortoises was challenging because dense vegetation made some areas difficult to survey.<\/p>\n

She said researchers used modelling to account for animals they could not directly observe, producing what they described as the most reliable population baseline to date.<\/p>\n

The estimate will help conservation managers monitor changes in the population over the coming decades.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Climate change and invasive species remain threats<\/h3>\n

Despite the encouraging figures, researchers warned that continued protection would be essential to safeguard the tortoises\u2019 future.<\/p>\n

Climate change is expected to bring longer and more frequent droughts to Aldabra, potentially reducing the food and shade available to the animals.<\/p>\n

Rising sea levels also pose a threat to the atoll\u2019s low-lying areas.<\/p>\n

Invasive mammals, including feral cats and black rats, remain another concern because they prey on tortoise eggs and hatchlings.<\/p>\n

The study\u2019s authors said plans to eradicate the remaining invasive mammals could remove further obstacles to population growth and strengthen the species\u2019 resilience to climate pressures.<\/p>\n

Dr Dave Hudson, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Exeter\u2019s Cornwall campus, welcomed the findings but stressed that the population estimate should serve as a starting point for future monitoring rather than the end of conservation efforts.<\/p>\n

He said the data could help conservation managers identify changes early and respond to growing threats from climate change, drought and invasive species.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The population of Aldabra giant tortoises in Seychelles has reached an estimated 183,000 adult and sub-adult animals, according to a new study, marking a major conservation success for a species that was once pushed close to extinction. The survey, led by the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) and the University of Exeter, found that approximately 180,000 giant tortoises live freely on Aldabra Atoll. The figure is the highest recorded for the species and far exceeds the human population of Seychelles. Researchers analysed five years of tortoise counts conducted between 2018 and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2386\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}