Seychelles Islands are a country located in the Indian Ocean and covers around 455 sq. km. It is home to many exotic islands some of which are Mahe, Praslin, Curieuse island, Cousin island and Bird Island. Cousin island is one of the most inspirational conservation efforts in the recent history. What was once a coconut plantation is today a nature reserve and home for some birds very unique to this part – namely the Seychelles Warbler, Seychelles Magpie Robin, White Tern, The Lesser and Greater Noddy and of course the Aldabra Turtle. Cousin island can also be visited as part of a three-island hoping tour. Cousin island is around 8.2km away from Praslin. The journey to Cousin island is an eventful one. The only way to get to there is by boat from Praslin. Visitors are transferred from the larger catamaran boats to small boats for a bumpy beach landing. This is done to avoid spread of any diseases to the island from the mainland and also because this island has no jetty. Limited visitors are allowed for this island tour so bookings have to be done in advance.
It all began way back in 1965 when there were hardly 26 remaining individuals of the Seychelles Warbler that was only found in between a small patch of mangroves in the Cousin Island. The Seychelles Warbler is an exotic bird which was reduced from critically endangered to nearly threatened on the IUCN’s red list of endangered species. Before being a nature reserve, Cousin Island was merely a coconut plantation site. But in 1968 Birdlife International- a global partnership of conservation organizations (NGOs) which aims to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity – decided to buy Cousin Island in order to save these critically endangered species. In 1968, it was officially declared that Cousin Island would be a nature reserve. All the coconut plantations were immediately removed, and native trees were grown all over the island, in its place. The population of the Seychelles Warbler has now increased 115 times proving that this was a very effective decision. Since 1988, Nature Seychelles is managing Cousin island and it has expanded its vision from bird conservation to marine conservation. Now, it is home to many other exotic birds and provides a nesting shelter for them.
Similarly, The Magpie Robin was also among one of the species of birds which was termed to be critically endangered. The Magpie Robin, which was initially found in great numbers, gradually dropped down to a population of only 23 birds in the Fragete islands. But in 1990 , a special recovery program was carried out by the Nature Seychelles in which they aimed at translocating several birds to islands such as the Arid Islands and the Cousin islands.
