D'Arros Island, Coral sand cay in the Amirante Islands, Seychelles
D'Arros Island is a flat, oval coral sand cay in the Amirante Islands, oriented northeast–southwest, measuring 2 km long and 1 km wide, with a maximum elevation of 3 metres. It sits on a detached patch reef and is separated from St. Joseph Atoll by a 1 km wide channel with water 60–62 metres deep. Vegetation is dominated by native coconut palms and introduced horsetail beefwood trees reaching 27 metres.
European sailors reached the island in 1770 and named it after a French officer active in the Indian Ocean at the time. Over the following centuries it served as a fishing settlement and a small coconut plantation.
D'Arros Island is used by a small research station focused on the protection of sea turtles and sharks. Visitors who gain access can observe the ongoing scientific work directly on the ground.
The island is accessible only by small aircraft landing on an unpaved runway, and access is restricted to invited guests and researchers. Planning well in advance and obtaining explicit permission is necessary before any visit.
The island's research centre, run by the Save Our Seas Foundation, works on sharks, rays and turtles year-round and also hosts visiting university groups. Five Seychelles fody birds brought from Cousin Island in 1965 grew into a population of a few hundred, an early sign of the island's later role as a reserve.
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