Insights into coral reef resilience: monitoring and research at remote Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles

Coral reefs are exceptionally biodiverse ecosystems and their integrity is paramount for coastal societies. Nevertheless, coral reefs experience significant local and global anthropogenic pressures, and provide a sensitive indicator of coastal ocean health and climate change. Reef monitoring programmes have therefore become a standard tool to track changes within these ecosystems and are essential to better inform science, management and policy.

Aldabra Atoll UNESCO World Heritage Site in Seychelles, one of the world's most secluded ecoregions and among the largest atolls globally, has remained largely untouched by humans due to its remote location, limited freshwater resources, and challenging access. This makes it a unique and invaluable site for studying evolutionary and ecological processes on islands, and offers the opportunity to study the impacts of climate change on coral reef ecosystems in the absence of substantial local human pressure.

The Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF), management authority of the atoll, has conducted annual monitoring of Aldabra’s coral reefs since 2014, capturing valuable long-term data on reef trajectories and resilience. This monitoring program has documented changes in coral assemblages through mass bleaching events, including the third global bleaching event in 2016 and the fourth global bleaching event in 2024, providing critical insights into the resilience and recovery potential of Aldabra’s reefs.

This presentation will outline the findings of this annual monitoring programme, highlight associated research initiatives into Aldabra’s reef resilience, and will provide first insights into the impact of the 2024 global coral bleaching event on Aldabra’s reefs. By sharing these insights, this presentation aims to deepen understanding of coral resilience mechanisms in a remote reef system. Aldabra’s reefs serve as a natural laboratory, offering valuable benchmarks for coral health in the face of climate change and contributing critical knowledge with the potential to support coral conservation strategies worldwide.