A Message from the Chagos Conservation Trust - US Chair

Please find below a message from Ted Morris, CCT-US Chair outlining current concerns in Chagos. You can extend your support of CCT-US by clicking on the Join now or Donate now tabs to the left.

A Message from the Chagos Conservation Trust - US Chair

Dear Concerned Conservationists, Environmentalists, and Naturalists,

The Chagos Archipelago is one of the most important natural areas of the globe, and not just for its stunning beauty.  Its remote location in the center of the Indian Ocean, and distance from polluted sea lanes have kept its treasures intact, especially those beneath the waves.  After all, the Archipelago’s 62 “micro-islands” have a land mass of just 21 square miles in the middle of the 640,000 square miles of surrounding marine protected area.

Our sister Trust in the United Kingdom has made significant strides protecting the Chagos from exploitation, and in turn, we now have the opportunity to study a nearly pristine area the size of Texas.

Why is documenting the history, natural history and current ecology of the Chagos Archipelago important?  Because so few archipelagos are equally pristine, and comparison to the Chagos environment is, in my opinion, critical to the recovery and effective management of damaged ecosystems elsewhere.

Equally important, recording the changes to the Chagos over time will help us understand the phenomena of climate change, plastic pollution, and other concerning conditions and their effects on fragile, coral-based island systems, pelagic and inshore fisheries, sea-mounts, and especially the reefs themselves.  There also remain so many questions about invasive species, sea-bird colonies, sea-turtle breeding beaches, indigenous hardwood forests, etc., etc., etc.!

Hopefully, some of these questions interest you, or maybe you have other serious concerns and would like to see them addressed in the future.  You can help make that happen by joining us in the CCT-US.  We are a 100% volunteer organization and all your contributions will go to advancing Chagos research, so join us now by clicking on the “Join Us” or “Donate” buttons on this page.

All the Best,

Ted A. Morris, Jr., Chair
Chagos Conservation Trust - US.