Satellite image of the remote Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean captured by the Operational Land Imager-2 on Landsat 9 on June 24, 2022.atollLocated more than 400 kilometers northwest of Madagascar and more than 600 kilometers east of mainland Africa, Aldabra is one of the. The OLI-2 on Landsat 9 captured this image of the remote atoll on June 24, 2022. Tides flow in and out of the lagoon through channels between the large perimeter islands.
Due to the islands’ isolated location, rough terrain, and scarcity of fresh water, the human footprint on the atoll is relatively small. Aon West Island has operated since 1971, but tourism is limited and carefully controlled. Aldabra Atoll was designated aThough the atoll may be remote and rugged, it is not desolate. It contains a variety of habitats that have spurred the evolution of specially-suited flora and fauna.
The only surviving Aldabra giant tortoises in the wild can be found on the Aldabra Atoll, northwest of Madagascar. Credit: Dennis Hansen, University of Zurichis estimated to exceed 100,000. Males can weigh up to 250 kilograms and measure 1.2 meters in length.to neighboring Madagascar, where no giant tortoises had lived for 600 years due to overhunting. Ecologists believe the lumbering creatures could promote forest regeneration on cattle-grazed land by distributing seeds through their dung.