Climate change and identification of terrestrial protected areas in the Seychelles Islands

Abstract

The Seychelles islands are notable for the high proportion of land area designated as National Parks (43%). These sites were designated with the aim of protecting water catchments and threatened species, mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. Their location does not take into consideration the likely impacts of climate change. It is anticipated that changes in organism and habitat distributions in the Seychelles islands will occur over the next 50-100 years largely as a result of sea level change and altered rainfall patterns. Species and sites at particular risk will be those associated with low-lying areas and high altitude moss forest habitats. Due to the small area of the Seychelles islands and their isolated nature there is no significant potential for redesign of protected areas to allow migration and mitigation, unlike continental ecosystems. The impacts on particularly threatened protected areas, both existing (e.g. Aldabra World Heritage Site) and potential, are highlighted.