The Seychelles
Gabriel, M.; Marshall, S.; Jennings, S. (2000). The Seychelles, in: Sheppard, C.R.C. (Ed.) Seas at the millennium: an environmental evaluation: 2. Regional chapters: The Indian Ocean to The Pacific. pp. 233-241 In: Sheppard, C.R.C. (Ed.) (2000). Seas at the millennium: an environmental evaluation: 2. Regional chapters: The Indian Ocean to The Pacific. Pergamon: Amsterdam. ISBN 0-08-043207-7. XXI, 920 pp., more |
| Available in | Authors | | Document type: Review
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| Authors | | Top | - Gabriel, M.
- Marshall, S.
- Jennings, S.
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| Abstract | The 115 islands of the Seychelles are scattered widely in the western Indian Ocean and occupy less than 0.1% of the area of the Seychelles' Exclusive Economic Zone. The climate is controlled by monsoonal wind shifts, the south Indian Ocean subtropical anticyclone, seasonal migrations of intertropical troughs and currents and sea surface temperatures in the South Indian Ocean. Climate has a profound impact on reef development. Reefs range from heavily exploited and intermittently polluted fringing reefs on the coasts of the large granitic islands to isolated atolls where fishing pressure and pollution levels are low. Reefs may sustain important artisanal fisheries, provide coastal protection or act as the focus of the dive tourism industry. Development and pollution threaten reefs around the large granitic islands, but the greatest impact in recent years was due to the 1998 coral bleaching event that has killed over 50% of corals in many localities. The offshore seas are largely unaffected by human activities other than fishing, although some oil exploration has taken place. Approximately 15% of the islands' reefs have protected status. The extensive reefs and EEZ of the Seychelles, coupled with a relatively small population, allow Seychellois to address conservation issues which may be insurmountable elsewhere. |
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