“Britain has a rare opportunity to protect this marvellous, yet fragile, natural environment, by creating a conservation area comparable in importance with the Galapagos Islands or the Great Barrier Reef and of great benefit for people. We hope it will be very widely supported.”

William Marsden CMG, Chair of the Chagos Conservation Trust

Protect Chagos

Creating one of the world's greatest natural conservation areas

The biodiversity of the Chagos archipelago and its surrounding waters is one of the main reasons it is so special. But this incredible diversity is under threat - at least 76 species that call Chagos home are already on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

A hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) swimming in Chagos

Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Islands within the Chagos archipelago are a regular nesting ground for the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Sea turtles are some of the oldest inhabitants of this planet and are found in all the world’s oceans except for the polar regions. Hawksbills grow to about 1 metre in length and are characterised by their overlapping scutes (the plates of their shell) and bird-like beak. Due to the isolated nature of the Chagos, the hawksbill turtle is easily able to migrate to the islands to lay its 60-200 eggs with more chance of success.

Hawsbills are well protected around the globe and are listed on Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that trade of the species is banned. However, despite this there is still a black market for its particularly beautiful shell and it is listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered. This demand, along with the effects of bycatch, habitat degradation and the problem of ingesting plastic bags mistaken for its favoured food of jellyfish, mean the worldwide population has declined by over 80% in the last century.