Seychelles, nature

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The Seychelles islands have been preserved with its flora and fauna, white beaches and blue lagoons. The granite islands of the Seychelles archipelago are like great hanging gardens.

Seychelles is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They are the atoll of Aldabra, which is the world's largest raised coral atoll and also the Vallée de Mai on Praslin Island. The Cousin Island Special Reserve managed by Nature Seychelles, is an internationally-known bird and marine reserve which has won several grants for conservation and ecotourism. Seychelles has six national marine parks including the St. Anne National Marine Park located adjacent to the capital, Port Victoria, Marine Parks Authority. Much of the land territory and a substantial part of the coastal sea around Seychelles are protected as National Parks, including Marine Parks, and Reserves.
The granite islands of the Seychelles are home to about 75 endemic plant species, with a further 25 species in the Aldabra group. Particularly well-known is the Coco de mer, a species of palm that grows only on the islands of Praslin and neighboring Curieuse. Sometimes nicknamed the 'love nut' because of its suggestive shape, the coco-de-mer is the world's largest seed. The jellyfish tree is to be found in only a few locations today. This strange and ancient plant has resisted all efforts to propagate it. Other unique plant species include the Wrights Gardenia found only on Aride Island Special Reserve.
The giant tortoises from Aldabra now populate many of the islands of the Seychelles. The Aldabra population is the largest in the world. These unique reptiles can be found even in captive herds. It has been reported that the granite islands of Seychelles supported distinct species of Seychelles giant tortoises; the status of the different populations is currently unclear.
The Seychelles hosts some of the largest seabird colonies in the world. Islands such as Bird, Aride Island, Cousin, Aldabra and Cosmoledo host many species of seabirds including the sooty tern, fairy tern, white-tailed tropicbird, noddies and frigate birds. Aride Island has more species of seabird and greater numbers than the other 40 granite islands combined including the world's largest colony of Audubon's Shearwater and Lesser Noddy.

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