A partnership between National Geographic and ITB Berlin, the World Legacy Awards has honoured North Island as a leader in sustainable tourism for 2017 - recognizing its outstanding support for the preservation of nature, restoring natural habitats and protecting rare and endangered species. Read more about the World Legacy Awards here.
Environmental tasks on North Island include the tagging and monitoring of the endangered Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia midas) and the critically endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Other species monitored include the Aldabra Giant Tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), the Seychelles White-eye and White-tailed Tropic bird. Providing the necessary habitat for these animal species to successfully breed and thrive, constitutes part of the Noah's Ark project, which is what resulted in this World Legacy Award.
Rehabilitation of the endemic vegetation of North Island, particularly the Takamaka forest, is also part of the Noah's Ark project. This involves coconut seedling removal in rehabilitated areas, cultivating of seedlings in the tree nursery, planting indigenous trees in rehabilitated areas, alien vegetation removal, and marsh vegetation clearing during the dry season.
Marine conservation on North Island includes snorkeling along coral reefs in order to compile a photographic ID database of corals and fish occurring on the reefs and monitoring changes in coral, and monitoring beach movement patterns on the three beaches of the island by means of photographs and by using Abney levels.
Find out more about the conservation work being done on North Island.
A huge thanks to our ecotourists who have been assisting the Environmental Team on North Island since 2014. Your contributions to the Noah's Ark project have no doubt helped North Island achieve this award.
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