Plans to build a luxury resort near an isolated UNESCO World Heritage Site have raised serious concerns from conservation organizations and biologists, with a rare giant tortoise among the species that could be caught in the crossfire.Â
As reported by the Guardian, environmentalists have sounded the alarm as Seychelles authorities consider greenlighting a Qatari-funded hotel development on Assomption, part of the Aldabra island group and located around 23 miles from the eastern tip of Aldabra.
A World Heritage Site since 1982, the Indian Ocean's Aldabra Atoll is renowned for its population of more than 150,000 giant tortoises — "ecosystem engineers" that help maintain balance. Some were triumphantly reintroduced to Madagascar for the first time in hundreds of years thanks to their presence in the Seychelles.Â
The biodiverse atoll is also home to more than 400 native plants and animals, according to UNESCO, and a crucial destination for scientific research and discovery.
Hotel developers have issued assurances that they will take precautions to preserve the rare ecosystem. However, conservationists are not convinced, fearing habitat destruction, the introduction of invasive species, and increased pollution from travel.
"The Assomption Island development project has the potential to significantly disrupt and inflict irreparable damage to one of the most precious national treasures of Seychelles, and indeed one of the most pristine and unique natural places still remaining on our planet," Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance founder Thomas Kaplan wrote in a submission obtained by the Guardian.
For its part, the Island Development Corporation, or IDC, argues that bringing a resort to Assomption will aid the East African nation's economy with minimal disturbance. For example, supply runs and transportation around the islands would be the only acceptable use of motorized water vehicles, while visitors on Assomption would commute by horseback.
"We believe that Aldabra, much like the Galapagos — another UNESCO World Heritage Site — should be accessible to the world. Currently, Aldabra's access is limited to a select few, unlike the Galapagos, which welcomes global visitors," an IDC spokesperson wrote to the Guardian.Â
Regardless, conservationists argue that the speed at which the project is moving is too fast for responsible vacationing to possibly occur, and the case has drawn UNESCO's eyes.
"UNESCO is following the situation and has requested further information from the Seychelles authorities, recalling the need to protect the outstanding universal value of the site," the organization wrote to Seychelles president Wavel Ramkalawan, per the Guardian.
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