Setting Conservation Priorities – A Key Biodiversity Areas Analysis for the Seychelles Islands

ABSTRACT

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are areas identified as being important for the conservation of biodiversity due to the presence of threatened species or habitats, or particularly high levels of biodiversity. They are a useful concept for setting site conservation priorities, combining other categories such as biodiversity hotspots, Important Bird Areas and ‘ecoregions’. An analysis of the terrestrial KBAs of the Seychelles islands based on comprehensive biodiversity assessments identifies 48 sites of conservation importance. A high proportion of the land area of Seychelles is designated as protected areas, however, the KBA analysis indicates that this needs to be expanded by a further 47km2. The KBAs are threatened by development (6 sites), sea-level rise (13 sites) and unpredictable climate change (16 sites). Habitat degradation caused by invasive species is the most significant threat to the largest number of KBAs, affecting all 48 sites with invasive species dominating the plant communities in 15 sites. There is an urgent requirement for future conservation in Seychelles to combine effective legal protection of KBAs with large-scale habitat restoration.