North Island has been alternatively neglected and exploited throughout its history. Many alien species of plants and animals remained behind after the copra plantation on North Island became uneconomical in the 1970s. These alien species thrived and greatly impacted the indigenous Seychellois flora and fauna. In tandem with creating a world-class eco-tourism destination, we have been working hard to restore North Island to its former glory.
The first phase of the rehabilitation was to successfully eradicate alien rodents and to this day North Island remains one of the largest islands in the Seychelles ever to have been entirely de-ratted. Stringent control measures are in place to ensure they never return as they posed a major threat to ground-nesting birds. Feral animals such as goats, cats and cattle were also removed.
Invasive plant species are being progressively cleared, and replaced by thousands of indigenous plant and tree seedlings grown in our on-island nursery and then transplanted throughout the island. In this way, the native habitat has been restored to the extent that North Island is once again a place where endemic Seychellois fauna and flora can flourish.
Evidence of the success of this programme has been the fact that bird species such as Seychelles Blue Pigeons and breeding populations of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and White-tailed Tropicbirds have returned of their own accord. Hawksbill and Green Turtles nest on our beaches once more, in ever increasing numbers.
