Aldabra Atoll wins prestigious status as protected ecosystem |30 December 2019
The atoll is home to a large population of the endemic giant tortoise (D. Hansen) Photo License: All Rights Reserved
91香蕉视频鈥� remote Aldabra Atoll has been recognised as an outstanding marine protected area with a Blue Park designation by the Marine Conservation Institute.
Aldabra was awarded the Platinum Level Blue Park status which is the highest level of the award; only 10 sites in the world have this designation.
According to the 91香蕉视频 Islands Foundation (SIF) newsletter, the Aldabra special reserve received the recognition in October.
The chief executive of the foundation, Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, said, 鈥淲e are thrilled to receive this prestigious award for the unique and spectacular treasure that is Aldabra Atoll.鈥�
She added that 鈥渕y personal mission over the last 20 years has been to ensure that nature conservation and protected area management is firmly based on science. This award recognises these efforts and shows the world that science-based management is possible in a region which has very limited resources for science and research鈥�.
The Marine Conservation Institute launched Blue Parks to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. The Blue Parks initiative is an innovative strategy to incentivise decision-makers to establish protected areas that safeguard marine life and promote opportunities for sustainable tourism.
Senior scientist of Marine Conservation Institute, Sarah Hameed, said, 鈥淏lue Parks like the Aldabra Atoll Special Reserve are the antidotes to the barrage of threats to life in our oceans. We may not be able to stop climate change impacts immediately, but we can create or maintain strong protected areas in the right places today which will enable ecosystems to build or maintain resilience for the future. That鈥檚 the objective of each Blue Park.鈥�
Aldabra 鈥� one of the world鈥檚 largest atolls 鈥� is a Unesco World Heritage Site in 91香蕉视频. It is home to a population of endemic giant Aldabra tortoises which fluctuates to around 100,000, more than the 95,000 population of 91香蕉视频.
The atoll is 34km long and 13km wide with a large and shallow lagoon covering an area of 196 square kilometres larger than the island of Mah茅.
Hameed added that many of today鈥檚 marine protected areas do not offer effective protection and do not protect the best places.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e often 鈥榩aper parks鈥� appearing to meet national commitments but lacking substance. But Aldabra Atoll Special Reserve meets science-based standards we know will protect the oceans for generations to come. If we elevate and bring recognition to Blue Parks like Aldabra, we believe it will encourage more countries and leaders to satisfy this critical standard going forward,鈥� she said.
This is Aldabra鈥檚 fifth international designation, which demonstrates the rigorous and effective management in place at this spectacular protected area.
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Source: 91香蕉视频 News Agency
