Chance to vote Seychelles’ sites into seven wonders of nature |03 May 2008

Internet users around the world will decide the outcome of the vote organised by the New7Wonders Foundation. This is a non-profit body set up in 2001 by Swiss-born Canadian filmmaker, author and adventurer Bernard Weber to contribute to the protection of the world’s human-built and natural heritage and to foster respect for the cultural diversity on our planet.
 
Half the money raised by the New7Wonders Project is to be used to fund documentation and conservation of monuments worldwide under the motto Our Heritage Is Our Future. 

The current theme was launched last year after the success of the previous campaign, called the New 7 Wonders of the World, which attracted more than 10 million internet votes.

 The chief executive officer of the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF), Dr Frauke Fleisher-Dogley, encourages all Seychellois to register online at http://www.new7wonders.com and vote for Aldabra and La Digue Rocks. Voting is secure, with users having to confirm their votes through an email address.

Aldabra and La Digue now rank 133rd and 194th respectively. They need to be pushed into the top 77 to be eligible for the next stage of the project, which will see this group whittled down to 21 by a panel of experts.
The public worldwide will then vote again to decide the final seven wonders.

Aldabra is the world’s largest raised-coral atoll, 1,150 km southwest of Mahé. The name is of Arab origin and it seems to mean either “green” or “a rocky place”, or denotes a bright star the Arab mariners used for navigation. 

Aldabra is home to a large number of endangered species and has a rich scientifically-valuable ecosystem that is under the conservation management of the SIF.

La Digue Rocks are closer to home and many Seychellois are familiar with their remarkable forms at Anse Source d’Argent, one of our most beautiful and beloved beaches. Aldabra and La Digue Rocks are both a source of pride to our nation, attracting visitors searching for a unique eco-holiday.

Other natural sites in the running are Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia, the Amazon River in South America, the Grand Canyon in the US and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. All these are well-known and rank among the top 77 sites based on votes so far received.

STB