When North Island was abandoned in the 1970s following the collapse of the coconut industry, many unwanted, non-indigenous and intrusive species of flora and fauna remained behind, such as coconuts, casuarina, cows, rats, pigs, Indian Mynah birds, cats and a particularly invasive weed called lantana. Together, these unwanted elements held North Island in a stranglehold that threatened to stifle its very life force, smothering the indigenous plants, decimating the bird life and drying up the marshland that is the lifeblood of the island. After the alarm had been sounded by prominent ecologists, Wilderness Safaris was approached to undertake the challenge of not only putting an end to the island's sorry decline but of taking the long road towards the restoration of North Island to its former glory. The company accepted with alacrity.
A cornerstone of this bold initiative has been the "Noah's Ark" concept by which tortoises and certain species of birds are gradually being reintroduced to the Island along with such indigenous trees as takamaka, badamier and the legendary coco-de-mer palm. The rehabilitation programme is one of the most ambitious ever undertaken by both a private company and dedicated individual shareholders.
The concept of an eco-sensitive lodge on North Island was preceded by years of painstaking research and coordination with Seychelles government conservation bodies committed to ensuring the protection of the natural environment and biodiversity. Such considerations have not only placed numerous checks and controls on the nature of the project itself but have also ensured that maximum efforts are made in the direction of the recycling of materials and the rehabilitation of existing structures. They steered North Island's architects down the road of responsible, restrained development, limited noise, preservation of historical sites, eradication of alien fauna and flora and returning of previously extinct species, as well as water conservation and installation of ecologically sensitive sewerage. Felled alien trees such as the casuarina as well as dead takamaka trees were used in the building construction.
The conscientious pursuit of such policies over more than ten years is now reaping its just rewards and has contributed much to the extraordinary way in which the lodge's eleven secluded villas blend seamlessly with their surrounds and also to the eco-sensitive aura that now pervades the Island.
The ongoing process of conservation is at the very heart of North Island's philosophy and, as part of the island's continuing endeavours to safeguard its environment; a programme of rat eradication has been successfully completed. This has paved the way for the return of at least three indigenous species of bird, all of them on the danger list: the Black Paradise Flycatcher, the Seychelles Warbler and, most important of all, the Seychelles Magpie Robin - one of the world's rarest birds. In addition, some 20 indigenous Seychelles Giant Tortoises and 25 Seychelles White-Eyes have been released onto the island and are settling in.
For updates on North Island Rehabilitation Project, see the Trust website here.
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