Djibouti News Gazette

A census has been planned to identify the number of Aldabra giant tortoises in captivity to allow relevant authorities to better understand the reptiles’ population on the inner islands of Seychelles. This will allow for better protection and conservation of the species.

The census was initiated through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Biodiversity Conservation and Management Division of the Environment Department and the Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance (IOTA) on Friday, April 28.

The census was kicked off at the Cap Lazare Nature Reserve, home to an estimated 65 tortoises and 20 to 30 hatchlings in its nursery.

Signed by the principal secretary for environment, Denis Matatiken, and IOTA’s project director, Rich Baxter, the agreement is set to facilitate Aldabra giant tortoise protection, conservation, management, research, and welfare.

The agreement was signed by PS Matatiken (left) and IOTA’s project director, Rich Baxter. (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

IOTA is a regional not-for-profit organisation based in Seychelles, primarily focused on researching Aldabra giant tortoises, to understand their ecology and what they do in the wild. It seeks to re-populate tortoises on inner islands and possibly outer islands, as well as to bolster those populations should anything happen to the population on Aldabra.

At the moment Seychelles’ population of Aldabra giant tortoises in captivity and the wild is not completely known. Baxter told reporters that on Aldabra there are around 100,000 tortoises in the wild.

Fregate Island, which is home to the second largest population in Seychelles, and the largest population of re-wilded giant tortoises in the world, has about 2,500 to 3,000 tortoises.

“There are other islands with a couple of hundreds here or there, and we would like to see what these numbers are on these other islands. We would like to know what the situation is on the other islands in Seychelles, primarily Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue. For the number that are in institutions like hotels and guesthouses, but also private owners, because it’s a big part of the Seychelles culture having giant tortoises as pets and we would like to understand the situation there as well,” said Baxter.

Through the census, which is expected to take a year to complete, tortoises privately owned will be microchipped. (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

He said that by knowing the population “we can then try to understand more about how to manage the population.”

Through the census, which is expected to take a year to complete, tortoises privately owned will be microchipped. Each microchip has a unique serial number which will be logged along with other details of the chipped tortoise. Matatiken outlined that the microchipping of captive tortoises will be for research purposes and allow for follow-ups.

“Once a tortoise is microchipped, there is also the benefit of locating if it gets lost. Through the microchip, we will be able to identify each tortoise,” said Matatiken.

A total of 5,000 microchips, the size of a grain of rice, were donated by Parco Natura Viva, a safari park and zoo in Italy, to the ministry for the census.

The census will also allow the partners to see how people treat their tortoises as pets and whether basic necessities like living conditions and food are properly provided.

Matatiken outlined that “if we identify at any point that the manner in which tortoises are being kept is correct, it will be our responsibility to educate the owner, and together with the alliance, to come up with protocols and basic things that a person can do to ensure the tortoises’ wellbeing.”

Source: Seychelles News Agency

A land registration project on Seychelles’ islands of Praslin and La Digue is expected to start in June, a top government official said on Wednesday.

The land registration project is a technical process involving the systematic identification, surveying and confirmation of boundaries, procedures of possession, ownership, and any other rights of land that are formally recorded.

The chairman of the committee for lands, Gerard Hoareau, told SNA that people with interests on Praslin and La Digue would benefit by completing the formality.

“This will help those with lands that are not yet registered when they plan to carry out other transactions on the property, or even help them when looking for a loan from banks – as this proves that the land is theirs and is viable as collateral,” he said.

Once this is completed “it will provide landowners with evidence of title to facilitate transaction,” added Hoareau.

Those with yet unregistered lands on Baie Ste Anne Praslin will be the first to benefit from the project.

“Praslin and La Digue will be further subdivided into six adjudication sections. Praslin will comprise sections one to four and La Digue will comprise sections five and six,” he explained.

All concerned individuals will have to submit their claims by filling out a form and attaching all relevant land and supporting documents. These must include affidavits detailing the claim’s basis and a copy of a repertoire or title deed.

For those either in Seychelles or overseas with valid claims, they may reach the authorities at lrp@mlh.gov.sc or contact the team on telephone numbers +2484232132 or +2484303204.

A repertoire is a documented history of a parcel of land such as who are those with an interest on it such as heirs, whether it has been mortgaged among others – all kept at the Land Registration Office.

Meanwhile, another added benefit of the project on Praslin and La Digue is that while 84 percent of the land there has been surveyed, only 46 percent has been transferred on the new lands register. The project will allow for the completion of the process.

While it has taken some time for the exercise to be carried out on Praslin and La Digue, a similar exercise was carried out on Mahe in the early 1980s and took nearly a decade to complete.

The project is governed under three main laws – the Adjudication of Titles decree, the Land Registration Act and the Land Survey Act.

The Land Registration Project is expected to last for about five years and will be paid for by the government and may be extended should there be a need to do so.

Hoareau told SNA that a land and registration project office has been opened on Praslin “to bring us closer to the community where the project is being undertaken.”

An adjudication officer, Odour Makonaire, has been appointed for the implementation of the project, working alongside 11 specialist officers.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

Within the framework of the keenness of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on the safety and security of the citizens of the Federal Republic of Somalia, particularly those in the sisterly Republic of Sudan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs succeeded in evacuating on Tuesday, on a fourth flight from Sudan, 73 Somali citizens who were stuck in the ongoing conflict in this country for more than Two weeks ago, bringing the total number of evacuees to 242. Somalia continues the process of evacuating its most needy citizens, including the sick, children, the elderly and women, as the majority of Somalis in Sudan are students and families. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation renews its thanks and appreciation to its partners from countries and international organizations for coordinating to ensure the speedy evacuation of Somali nationals and their safe return to the homeland.

Source: Somali National News Agency

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Isaak Mohamud Mursal, on Tuesday attended the launch of the ‘State of Migration in East and Horn of Africa Report’ a groundbreaking report by IOM, IGAD and the EAC. The report denotes the transformative potential of collaborative cooperation. The Federal Republic of Somalia remains committed to advancing regional integration and human mobility within the region.

Source: Somali National News Agency