Pioneering luxury eco-retreat teams up with Nature Seychelles

Frégate Island Private, the Seychelles’ leading eco and conservation resort, has trans-located 16 rare Magpie Robins to neighbouring Denis Island, as part of a programme to re-establish the species there after the island was deemed a safe and suitable environment for reintroduction by Nature Seychelles.

Just 10 years ago, Frégate Island was home to the last 20 Magpie Robins in the world. Following a decade of painstaking conservation efforts in restoring its natural breeding and nesting habitats, the island is now the refuge of over 140 of these magnificent blue-black songbirds; still over 90% of the global population of what is still classified the world’s seventh rarest bird.

In conjunction with Nature Seychelles, Frégate Island Private is pursuing a strategy of reintroducing the Magpie Robin to as many of its original habitats as possible, in order to best protect the species and help preserve its genetic diversity, and in recent years Frégate has successfully supported the re-establishment of small family groups on the nearby Seychelles islands of Curieuse and Aride.

A multi-award-winning luxury retreat, Frégate Island Private has spearheaded the development of eco-tourism in the Seychelles and is one of the most important sanctuaries for rare endemic and indigenous animals: in addition to Magpie Robins, the island has important colonies of Seychelles White-eyes and Seychelles Blue Pigeons; is home to a flourishing population of the critically endangered Seychelles terrapin and the world’s second biggest population of Aldabra Giant tortoises; and is an important nesting island for green and hawk-bill turtles. Frégate Island has also reforested well over 80’000 local trees over the past decade as part of a programme to restore natural habitats.

For more information, visit Fregate.com.