IOTA NEWSLETTER JULY 2020
MESSAGE FROM IOTA TEAM
We are currently facing challenging times, which have impacted all our lives and our organisations in unanticipated ways. With global connectivity largely confined to the virtual world, we have not been able to start field activities in the Seychelles, and instead, have focused on launching our conservation campaign online. The IOTA website is live (www.iotaseychelles.org) along with social media channels to showcase the Aldabra giant tortoises and their function in rewilding and ecosystem restoration projects. We remain committed to our partners by promoting the crucial conservation work they undertake in the Seychelles, and by sharing positive stories of conservation success in the region. In the meantime, we will increase our online presence and hope to be back on the ground in the not too distant future. The team currently have bi-monthly meetings with board members and continue to work with Judith Strashoon (SSPCA) on finalising the registration of IOTA in Seychelles. Thank you for your support and willingness to fight for tortoise conservation. Stay well, stay healthy, and embrace the tortoise mantra “stay calm, and we’ll get there in the end”!
Best Wishes, Dennis and Richard
IOTA WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LAUNCHED
The Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance website went live in February 2020 along with social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The website contains information about IOTA’s mission and team, along with fun facts about tortoises and access to media. Elements of the website are in development with new content to be published over the coming months. Thank you to Max from the Turtle Conservancy for helping set this up.
Social media is a great way to engage with supporters and promote IOTA’s mission and we have had some early successes – it seems people really like tortoises just as much as cats! Our post for World Turtle Day with a video highlighting Aldabra giant tortoise life on Aldabra proved to be very popular. The video had nearly 25’000 views and 2’500 engagements, and was shared widely on tortoise forums and groups, leading to increased traffic to IOTA channels. Followers of the IOTA have grown to around 300 on both Instagram and Facebook, where photos posted regularly reach 3000 unique hits. Most followers are based in the USA and Seychelles, although on Facebook the website has a large audience in Taiwan and Thailand were there appears to be many private Aldabra giant tortoise owners. We are always looking new stories and content for the website and the social media channels, so if you have any suggestions, please let us know.
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM VISIT
Richard Baxter visited the Natural History Museum, London, vaults to catalogue the Aldabra giant tortoise specimen collection.
The collection is impressive with more than 100 full skeletons with intact shells (scutes), which will be of great value for isotope or genetic analysis in future projects. Some of the notable specimens were collected on Aldabra Atoll for Lord Rothschild in 1893!
These ghosts from the past may hold vital information on the genetic diversity of Aldabra giant tortoises, as they went almost extinct in the wild in the late 1800s due to overharvesting (some of which luckily ended up in museum collections, rather than in human stomachs!)
Richard Baxter visited the Natural History Museum, London, vaults to catalogue the Aldabra giant tortoise specimen collection. The collection is impressive with more than 100 full skeletons with intact shells (scutes), which will be of great value for isotope or genetic analysis in future projects. Some of the notable specimens were collected on Aldabra Atoll for Lord Rothschild in 1893! These ghosts from the past may hold vital information on the genetic diversity of Aldabra giant tortoises, as they went almost extinct in the wild in the late 1800s due to overharvesting (some of which luckily ended up in museum collections, rather than in human stomachs!)
ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE GENOMICS
Together with the Seychelles Islands Foundation, IOTA has embarked on a study of the genomic diversity of the wild population on Aldabra Atoll. Collecting blood samples from our beloved giants has been ongoing as part of various projects since 2012. It is always a challenge, but one which Richard has mastered over the years!
The study is currently underway at the University of Zurich, and we welcome the lead scientist, Dr. Gözde Çilingir as an associated researcher in IOTA’s conservation science team. Despite the importance of understanding and managing genetic diversity for the long-term health of most species, there is currently no consideration of genetics in the conservation management of this tortoise; neither in the wild population, nor in captive breeding projects or rewilding herds. Our project will yield detailed genomic information that enables SIF to monitor and manage the genetic health of the wild population, and help managing current and future rewilding projects that use Aldabra giant tortoises as key ecosystem engineers.
DURRELL AND THE PLOUGHSHARE TORTOISE
IOTA sat down with Henri Rakotosalama, from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, who is attending the Conservation and Leadership training course in Jersey, UK. Henri started working with Durrell in 2006 and is the field manager of the Ploughshare tortoise conservation program in Madagascar. He has been monitoring and protecting the reintroduced Ploughshare tortoise population in Beaboaly since 2008. Henri explained the importance of the tortoise reintroduction, and how, through this project, Durrell empowers the local community via initiatives promoting sustainability of resource use and respect for wildlife. Durrell released 100 tortoises in 2015 in the Baly Bay National Park. Whilst the reintroduction so far has been successful, the team are constantly on the lookout for poachers in the 16,000 ha national park. Protected by CITES Appendix 1, the Ploughshare tortoise remains a highly sought-after species in the illegal pet trade, and Henri’s team does it is very best to prevent tortoises from being taken from the wild.
ISLAND LESSSONS
A series of lessons about islands and their inhabitants have been created by IOTA for school children between 4-7 years old. The lessons follow islands from their formation, their geography ending on conservation and the role tortoises play in ecosystem function. The lessons help explain the complex nature of how islands form, how animals exist on islands, along with what it is like to live and work on islands. The idea is to develop them further to teach children about conservation from the perspective of tortoises. The lessons will be free to download from the IOTA website and YouTube, ensuring access to teachers and students across the world.