Seychelles announces two new marine protected areas the size of Great Britain

Seychelles, a small island nation located off East Africa in the Indian Ocean, has announced the creation of two new marine protected areas covering 210,000 square kilometers (81,100 square miles), according to a press release from the U.S.-based conservation group The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The area covered by the two parks is the size of the island of Great Britain. The first marine protected area includes 74,400 square kilometers (28,700 square miles) of waters surrounding the extremely isolated Aldabra archipelago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has remained largely untouched by people. The Aldabra Atoll is home to the elusive dugong (Dugong dugon) and the world’s largest population of about 100,000 rare giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea). The islands are also important nesting grounds for hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas). The second marine protected area covers 136,000 square kilometers (52,500 square miles) of a commercially important stretch of ocean between the Amirantes group of coral islands and Fortune Bank. This region is important for both tourism and fishing activities, some of which will be allowed under stricter regulations, according to TNC. Aerial view of Aldabra. Photo by Simisa via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). The Seychelles government designated the two new marine protected areas as part of a debt-for-nature deal drawn up with the help of TNC. The deal allows Seychelles to restructure part of its national debt in exchange for its commitment to increase marine protection from 0.04 percent of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to 30 percent. “Seychelles’ commitment to…

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