Editing Cosmoledo (section)

==Flora and fauna==
Cosmoledo is an [[Important Bird Area]] and holds Seychelles' largest colonies of all three species of [[booby]] that breed in Seychelles.<ref>[http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=239893 News]</ref> The atoll holds one of only two Seychelles populations of [[brown booby]], breeding mainly on South Island, with a few on West-North Island.  It also has the Indian Ocean's largest population of [[red-footed booby]] censused by the [[Island Conservation Society]] as about 15,000 pairs.<ref>Rocamora, G. Feare C.J., Skerrett, A., Athanase, M. and Greig, E. 2003. The breeding avifauna of Cosmoledo Atoll (Seychelles) with special reference to seabirds: conservation status and international importance. Bird Conservation International 13: 151-174.</ref>  Exploitation has wiped out the [[lesser frigatebird]] and has almost done the same to the [[great frigatebird]], which is down to just 15 pairs compared to hundreds of pairs in the 1970s.  Despite this, hundreds of non-breeding frigatebirds of both species are to be seen, these being probably from [[Aldabra]]. The [[lesser frigatebird]] also once bred but now may be extinct.  Cosmoledo also has Seychelles' largest colony of [[sooty tern]] breeding on the northern end of Wizard Island. Second only to Aldabra are the numbers of breeding [[red-tailed tropicbird]], [[black-naped tern]] and [[crested tern]]. In May 2023, [[Island Conservation Society]] discovered [[Caspian tern]] breeding on Menai, the second known oceanic breeding site in the world after [[Aldabra]].

The lagoon is an important feeding ground for migratory waders, with [[crab plover]] and [[ruddy turnstone]] most common.  There are three endemic races of land bird: the Madagascar white-eye (race ''menaiensis''), the [[souimanga sunbird]] (race ''buchenorum'') and a particular form of [[Madagascar turtle dove]].  The [[Madagascar cisticola]] is also common and there are a few [[pied crow]] present.

The flora is similar to that of [[Aldabra]], with fewer species but including several plants endemic to the group. As on Aldabra there are areas of tall mangrove, especially on the lagoon side of Menai Island. Coconuts are common only on Menai, where many were planted.

Lizards include Bouton's [[snake-eyed skink]] and [[Madagascar banded lizard]], the latter found nowhere else in Seychelles. [[Green turtle]] nest in reasonably large numbers, despite decades of exploitation in the past and poaching in the present. The reefs are spectacular and offer some of the best diving in Seychelles.

The [[Island Conservation Society]] employs staff during the fishing season, conducting conservation and rehabilitation work on the atoll. Rats have been eradicated from all islands except Menai.<ref>[http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/883/Seychelles+far+flung+atoll+of+Cosmoledo+to+get+airstrip IDC plans airport]</ref><ref>[http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=247038 Arrest of poachers 2015]</ref>