WILDLIFE WORLD Aruna Chandaraju documents her visit to the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve in Seychelles, telling us what an educating and enchanting experience it can be.
Walking through Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve in Seychelles, we were suddenly hushed into silence by the guide. She had heard the cry of the black parrot, a rare bird and one of the endemic species of this palm forest. “Only a lucky few among the daily visitors get to see it,” she had told us when we were entering the reserve. So, we were naturally excited and turned all quiet. Looking through the foliage, we finally spotted it - but only for a second or two as it flew away. But we were thrilled at that brief glimpse.
This parrot is one of the many rare sights that visitors to Vallée de Mai are rewarded with. This reserve is located in Praslin island, Seychelles. Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve has the vestiges of a primeval palm forest preserved in their near-original state. It boasts of a very rich biodiversity and pristine state. Such is Vallée de Mai’s value that it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The forest also has religious significance and legends attached to it. It is said to be the site of the original Garden of Eden which Adam and Eve inhabited as the Bible states. And a special tree which grows here - the coco de mer palm tree - is considered the Tree of Knowledge!
Curious case of coco de mer
The coco de mer is an endemic species and the largest seed in the plant kingdom and derived from a palm tree once believed to grow in the depths of the sea. UNESCO describes the tree as being “of outstanding universal value as the bearer of the largest nut in the world. In addition, the other five species of endemic palm are also found in the Vallée de Mai, the only place in the Seychelles where they are all found together. A further 28 endemic species of plant have been recorded, including the vine, once thought extinct and then believed to exist only on Curieuse Island. Tatamaka and Calice du Pape have been planted.”
UNESCO also details the value of Vallée de Mai: “A granitic island, the Seychelles is a ‘microcontinent’ that has had quite a different history from the other volcanic or coralline islands in the Indian Ocean; therefore, it has a large number of endemics and no comparison can be made with other islands in the Indian Ocean.”
Wonderful wildlife
Besides the black parrot, the other feathered friends we can find in this nature reserve include blue pigeon, bulbul, cave-nesting swiftlet, sunbird and Seychelles kestrel. There are also reptiles - like the endemic chameleon, green and bronze geckos, Seychelles house snake, skink, Seychelles wolf snake, blind snake etc. One sees the bronze geckos very frequently - however, the tree trunks and branches offer perfect camouflage so we had to look carefully to spot them.
Tougher to find - even by scientists - are six species of caecilian - limbless, serpentine amphibians - that are like large worms in appearance and occur in the deep beds of moist humus. The brown and the blackfish snail are the endemic snails. In the streams, you will find freshwater prawn, shrimp, freshwater crab, besides the goudgeon, which is the only endemic species of freshwater fish.
Protecting and conserving such a precious resources is not an easy task, especially given the large footfall. Rowana Walton of Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) informed that there are many threats to the Vallée de Mai nature reserve and each of them is being addressed systematically. Poaching of coco de mer nuts is one of the biggest threats. The nut and the kernel inside, have a high retail value and despite legal protection under the Seychelles law and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), poaching continues to happen. On its part, SIF makes continuous efforts to improve security arrangements and conduct education and outreach activities in the Praslin community to try to reduce this threat.
Like in any forest, a fire poses a threat of high severity, as it can cause a major loss of endemic biodiversity and the reserve’s precious coco de mer. “A firebreak around the Vallée de Mai reserve is maintained and an action plan in case of fire is being developed,” informs SIF. Many of the animals and plants found in the Vallée de Mai are endemic to the country. This small population of each species makes them more vulnerable to extinction. Moreover, some endemic species like the Seychelles black parrot for example, are dependent on the reserve’s palm forest. We were told that such small populations are vulnerable to stochastic events that could cause a very quick depletion.
Saving & surviving
Protecting the natural biodiversity of Vallée de Mai is a tough task. It entails a constant fight against invasive alien species - i.e., any species introduced by human action outside their natural range either accidentally or on purpose. Invasive species can dramatically alter the species composition and habitat of the forest. These species compete with native species and dominate areas. Take for example, the Vya Tang plant. It was introduced for aesthetic purposes and is now a big threat. Then there is the Indian Mynah bird, probably introduced by a private collector. These mynahs can prey on eggs from other bird species including the endemic. The yellow crazy ant arrived accidentally through the transport of construction material and could lead to decline in numbers of snails, geckos and slugs. Meeting this very big challenge is a special Invasive Species Team which carries out management actions. It is also writing a management plan to assist in the ongoing fight against invasive species in the Vallée de Mai.
The Vallée de Mai site itself is not completely self-sustaining. For example, there has been some replanting of the coco de mer. SIF also told us of the conservation and protection efforts, many of which have been very fruitful: “The Vallée de Mai has had a full-time research programme since 2008. The research programme has studied an array of plants and animals, increasing the knowledge of the many unique species that make up this mysterious palm forest. Indeed this programme led to the rediscovery of the forgotten Seychelles Chameleon in 2009 which had been lost to science for nearly 200 years and the discovery of the Praslin population of Sooglossus frogs.
A major part of the research programme focuses on the long-term monitoring of key species such as coco de mer and Seychelles Black Parrot. Despite the many achievements in recent years the Vallée de Mai still faces several threats to the conservation of this forest and its species. Poaching of the beautiful and valuable coco de mer nuts puts the future regeneration of the forest in peril, and endemic plant species fight for space with highly invasive plants that threaten the native biodiversity of the site. Firm action has been taken against these dangers by tackling the invasive plant species and an expanded environmental education and awareness programme on the threats of coco de mer poaching.”
