A study of the world’s largest population of free-roaming giant tortoises has revealed that the once-threatened species is thriving.
A population of Aldabra giant tortoises inhabits Aldabra Atoll, an island in the Seychelles archipelago.
The latest study, led by the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) and the University of Exeter, estimates that around 180,000 tortoises live on the atoll. This is the highest population ever recorded for the species and significantly exceeds the human population of the Seychelles.
The new figure was established by a research team that analysed tortoise count data collected over five years, from 2018 to 2022. It marks the first major update since the late 1990s, when a widely cited estimate put the population at approximately 100,000.
Aldabra Atoll is one of only two places in the world where giant tortoises occur in the wild, with a much smaller population found in the Galápagos Islands.
Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, chief executive of the Seychelles Islands Foundation, said the presence of more than 180,000 free-roaming giant tortoises on the atoll demonstrates what long-term commitment to conservation can achieve.
“This is wonderful news for the Seychelles, for the world and for everyone who has worked to protect Aldabra,” she said.
