Cousin island nature reserve: from coconuts to conservation-Celebrating 40 years of conservation success |22 August 2009

Back in the 60s, conservationists were deeply worried about the birds of Seychelles, those flagship species that often attract the first conservation concern. In 1969, in an indictment against the loss of birds in Seychelles, the first Red Book declared: “It is scandalous that so many rare endemic birds are being allowed to disappear in Seychelles…”
In that year’s Red Book the following was written about five of Seychelles’ endemic birds:

● Seychelles warbler: “…could well become extinct in our time”;
● Seychelles paradise flycatcher: “…sliding towards irreplaceable destruction”;
● Seychelles scops owl: “…another Seychelles bird that is very near the verge of extinction”;
● Seychelles fody: “… some rare land birds are now very near the point of extinction”;
● Seychelles magpie robin: “...only the greatest fears can now be expressed for its survival”;
A year before this bleak forecast was published, the International Council for the Protection of Birds (ICBP) – now BirdLife International – had bought Cousin island. 

Its intention was to save the Seychelles warbler. That year, Cousin was declared a legally protected nature reserve. This became the turning point not just for the warbler but for many of the Seychelles endemics. Conservation on Cousin helped save some of the Seychelles endemic birds, globally important seabirds, critically endangered marine turtles, precious coral reefs and fish. Cousin was subsequently given Special Reserve status in 1974 and this has enhanced its protected status.

To many experts, the purchase of Cousin and the work begun there with the installation of scientific wardens was the beginning of modern conservation in Seychelles. These scientific wardens were, at the time, the only full-time scientists permanently in the country and were called on to advise on all things to do with conservation. With Cousin under its wing, the ICBP (BirdLife) developed a permanent representative in the country, and many other projects and programmes.

By all counts it has had the longest running presence in Seychelles of any international environmental organisation. No mean feat!

Last year, 2008, Cousin Island Special Reserve celebrated 40 years of conservation success. Nature Seychelles and its partners teamed up to organise an international symposium for these celebrations, dubbed Coconuts to Conservation: Celebrating 40 Years of Conservation Successes on Cousin Island Nature Reserve. The symposium was held from December 17-19 last year at the Centre for Environmental Education, Roche Caiman. Nature Seychelles is the Seychellois NGO that took over management of Cousin, and it celebrated 10 years of existence at the same time.

Good conservation news

The symposium helped to chart the forward motion of Cousin Island Special Reserve, which has led to its triumph. Among those who took part were two top chief executives from world authorities on birds – the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ (RSPB) Graham Wynne and Mike Rands of BirdLife International. Other notable guests included Prof Jan Komdeur of the University of Groningen, Dr David S. Richardson, University of East Anglia, Dr Mathieu Le Corre, University of La Reunion, Prof Tony Diamond of the University of New Brunswick, and Dr Nirmal Shah, the Nature Seychelles chief executive who is an expert on Seychelles conservation.

All have had a relationship with the island. Each related interesting scientific studies on the various facets of Cousin’s conservation, from avian translocations to vegetation and bird interactions over the years, to turtle monitoring and marine reserve management and use of the island as a reference for best ecotourism practice.

Cousin island now

Cousin has been successfully restored to its original vegetation, creating a home for many endemic species of land birds and important breeding sites for seabirds. Most remarkably, the Seychelles warbler – on whose behalf effort went into buying the reserve – was brought back from the brink of extinction.
The success registered with the warblers was followed up by improvements in other species, notably the Seychelles magpie robin. The first step in the rescue of this bird, also once on the brink of extinction, was to establish a population on Cousin.

There has been successful translocation of Seychelles warblers from Cousin to Cousine, Aride and Denis islands, and of Seychelles fodies from Cousin to Denis. Cousin hosts seven species of nesting seabirds, five species of endemic birds and seven species of endemic reptiles.

By 2005, the outlook for the birds had changed. Of the endemics on Cousin, the Seychelles magpie robin and the Seychelles warbler had been downlisted to endangered. The successful management of Cousin has helped these and other species thrive.

Cousin has been transformed into a flourishing tropical woodland. The numbers of nesting hawksbill turtles have tripled, making it the most important nesting site for this species in the western Indian Ocean. It is today one of the few islands free of introduced predators like cats and rats. Research has shown that the reserve’s reefs are well protected, resulting in a diverse and abundant marine fauna, especially of fish targeted by fishermen.

International recognition

Cousin is designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International and is a demonstration site for the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). It is classified as a wetland under the Ramsar criteria.  In 2005, a management effectiveness study by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) found the reserve to be well managed and effective. In 2006, the IUCN Turtle Specialist Group highlighted the success of Cousin’s turtle conservation programme which started in 1972.

Benefits for Seychellois

Initiation of ecotourism in 1972 has grown to become an exciting programme run under internationally accepted principles. The reserve attracts over 10,000 eco-visitors annually. It has won numerous awards and accolades, including the Condé Nast Ecotourism Award, and British Airways’ Tourism for Tomorrow. A Seychellois team runs the reserve, and only local people are involved in the ecotourism. A thrilling education programme for schoolchildren and the Wildlife Clubs is run by Cousin’s management.

Contributed by Nature Seychelles