ABSTRACT
A major concern of Seychellois leaders has been to promote tourism without damaging the natural beauty and wildlife treasures of the islands. This is a particularly important issue, as many Seychellois do feel that tourism is "not dignified," that the youth of the country are being reduced to "a new class of servitors, barmen and waitresses," or that the Seychellois have "lost some of their best beaches." John Jourdain, the first European explorer to record a visit to the Seychelles, found the islands densely covered by trees and other plant life that had evolved over millions of years, resulting in forest carpets of rich black humus and guano. In the starfish Acanthaster, which feeds on living coral and has done great damage to coral reefs throughout the Australia-Pacific region, has been noticed in Seychelles waters for the first time.
