Moyenne Island is a small island () in the
Sainte Anne Marine National Park off the north coast of
Mahé, Seychelles
Mahé is the largest island of Seychelles, with an area of , lying in the northeast of the Seychellois nation in the Somali Sea part of the Indian Ocean. The population of Mahé was 77,000, as of the 2010 census. It contains the capital city o ...
. Since the 1970s onwards, it has been a
flora
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
and
fauna
Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
reserve. From 1915 until the 1960s, the island was abandoned until its purchase by Brendon Grimshaw for £8,000. He was a newspaper editor from
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder, West Yorkshire, River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, ...
in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
, England.
Grimshaw was the only inhabitant of the island until his death in July 2012. The island is now a national park and can be visited as part of organized trips.
History
Moyenne Island, named after the French word for "middle", has a rich history. Pirates allegedly used the island in the 18th and 19th centuries, and two "pirate graves" remain. Philippe Georges owned the island from 1946 to 1962, living there with his wife Vera before moving to Mahé. The island features a viewpoint and beach named after Vera.
In 1962, Brendon Grimshaw bought the island from Philippe Georges for £8,000 (). Grimshaw and René Antoine Lafortune transformed the island by planting 16,000 trees, building nature paths, and introducing
Aldabra giant tortoises. Their goal was to create an island of exceptional beauty, now home to diverse plant and bird life, and nearly 50 giant tortoises.
After 20 years of persistence, Grimshaw and Lafortune succeeded in making Moyenne Island a national park in its own right. The island is now known as Moyenne Island National Park, separate from the surrounding Sainte Anne Marine National Park. Following Grimshaw's death in 2012, his friend Suketu Patel oversees the Moyenne Island Foundation, managing the island and fulfilling Grimshaw's vision of preserving the island's natural beauty.
The island remains largely undeveloped, with a small restaurant and museum dedicated to Grimshaw. The fifty
Aldabra
Aldabra, the world's second-largest coral atoll (the largest is Kiritimati), is located east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands (Seychelles), Outer Islands ...
giant tortoises roam freely.
Administration
The island belongs to
Mont Fleuri
Mont Fleuri () is an administrative district of Seychelles
Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) ...
District.
Tourism
Today, the island's main industry is tourism, and it is known for its beaches. Behind the restaurant is the local warden's house.
Image gallery
File:Seychelles large map.jpg, Map of the Mahé, Seychelles region
File:Moyenne Island.jpg, Moyenne Island
File:Mahe Island View.jpg, Mahé Island View
File:Owners of Moyenne.jpg, Information board on Moyenne (March 2016)
File:2006-06-22 12-34-40 Seychelles Cascade Cascade.jpg, Moyennes Island from southwest
Bibliography
*
References
External links
*
Moyenne Island Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moyenne, Seychelles
Islands of Mont Fleuri
Private islands of Seychelles
National parks of Seychelles