Photograph: Celina Chien. Retrieved from theguardian.com
The habitat of the largest giant tortoise population in the world is threatened by a Qatari-funded hotel development that aims to bring luxury yachts, private jets and well-heeled tourists to a remote island in the Indian Ocean, conservationists have warned.
Plans for an upscale resort on Assomption, which is part of the Aldabra island group, are currently under discussion by the Seychelles authorities, and construction is already finished on an airport expansion that would allow bigger aircraft to land on the 11.6-sq-km (4.5-sq-mile) coral island.
The developers have said they will follow world class sustainability practices. But wildlife conservation organisations and biologists argue that the project is being rushed through without sufficient analysis of the dangers. They say it should be halted until there is independent scrutiny of the risks posed to island fauna, which also include whales, turtles and many species of birds.