Saving Paradise

Here is a YouTube video courtesy of Birdlife International called “The Story of Cousin Island”. The video was made during celebrations for the 40 anniversary of Cousin Island. Cousin Island was purchased by BirdLife in 1968 to save the last remaining population of Seychelles Warbler. 40 years later, according to Birdlife, “warbler numbers have risen by 300%, and the island has been transformed from a coconut plantation to a profitable Nature Reserve which greatly benefits local people and global biodiversity.

With thanks to Birdlife.

Efforts to make Cousin Island the first carbon neutral Reserve in the world received a dose of publicity this past weekend through a CNN World Report submitted by the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).

Nature Seychelles wants to put in place a carbon offset program to protect the environment, maintain Cousin’s reputation as a world class reserve, and reassure visitors that their travel to the Reserve would be carbon neutral.

“Fly less” is one of the most recognized green mantras. Air travel is continually being slammed for producing climate-destroying greenhouses gases.  In some places, tourists are being advised to avoid such travel altogether. This could harm destinations such as Seychelles, which are economically dependent on tourism.

Privately managed conservation sites,  such as Cousin Island Special Reserve, could also be hard hit as they depend on  ecotourism revenues for conservation. Cousin Island attracts about 11,000 international eco-tourists annually.

We will of course keep you updated on this project. We would also love to hear from you about any carbon reduction undertakings you have had.

Meanwhile, you can watch the report at the CNN website here 

This weekend Cousin Island Special Reserve was featured on CNN World Report. The feature continues Today and on Tuesday at these times:

MONDAY:
08:30A GMT /16:30P Hong Kong / 19:30P Sydney/ 05:30A Buenos Aires /04:30A EDT

TUESDAY:
1) 03:00A GMT / 11:00AHong Kong / 14:00P Sydney / 12:00A Buenos Aires / 23:00P EDT (Monday)
2) 12:30P GMT/ 20:30A Hong Kong / 23:30P Sydney / 09:30A Buenos Aires / 08:30A EDT

You can access archived video of the show on the CNN website at this link.

Sent in by Jovani Simeon, the Senior Warden on Cousin Island, this photo shows baby Hawksbill turtles coming out during the nesting season on Cousin. Nesting begins end of August and ends beginning March. 99% of all turtles that nest on Cousin are Hawksbill. We also get green turtles, but very few each year. The eggs of Hawksbill take roughly 58 days to incubate.