Chagos Conservation Trust

08/10/2026

To celebrate , watch this short film about the octopus mating season in the waters off the Archipelago 🐙
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2EInyu63Pd4&pp=ygUOQ2hhZ2lzIG92dG9wdXM%3D&ra=m
Film by Jon Slayer 🎥
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Visiting the Chagos during the octopus mating season...this video c...

06/10/2026

An interesting new field study found that two treatments of beneficial bacteria each protected reef corals from bleaching during a heat wave in the Red Sea 🪸

Read more ⬇️
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/probiotics-prevented-coral-bleaching-during-a-red-sea-heat-wave-study/amp/

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As a heat wave settled on the Red Sea in 2022, a patch of corals in a reef 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) off the coast of Saudi Arabia reacted differently than other corals. They’d been treated with probiotics, beneficial bacteria isolated from healthy corals, and those treatments prevented the corals...

01/10/2026

Some positive news! ⬇️🐠🪸

https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/damselfish-assisted-repair-of-wounded-corals-surprises-scientists/?utm_source=The+Marine+Diaries&utm_campaign=4fca07a219-WeeklySplash_18_01_2026_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f4e5f57a10-4fca07a219-438600252&mc_cid=4fca07a219&mc_eid=ba4d11e5ce

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Corals share a close bond with the fish dwelling among them and the algae living within them. According to a new study, that relationship could be even stronger than previously known, with fish aiding coral tissue repair and damage recovery, particularly in higher-stress environments. The study, pub...

29/09/2026

To mark earlier this month, our intern Elisha Gough has made this video ⬇️

But how do activities done on this day help the Chagos islands?

By volunteers removing hundreds of thousands of tons of litter from beaches, rivers, forests and streets around the world, it stops pollutants like plastic ending up in Marine Protected Areas like the , which can threaten wildlife and natural habitats 🌍

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24/09/2026

We are delighted to welcome our new - and third! - intern to the CCT team: Meet Elisha Gough 😃

A marine biology student, Elisha is taking ‘a year out in industry’ to intern for both us Swansea University’s Marine Conservation Ecology Lab (MarCEL) 🌊

Read more on our website ⬇️
https://chagos-trust.org/news/cct-welcomes-its-2026-2027-intern-elisha-gough/

And see MarCEL’s post on Instagram ➡️ https://www.instagram.com/p/Ddlp3xoCHH8/?stkn=OW53ZGIxN3Z0amh3

Welcome Elisha! We are looking forward to having you with us for the next academic year 👩‍🎓

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The Chagos Conservation Trust is delighted to welcome its intern for the2026-2027 academic year, Elisha Gough, who is on a ‘year out in industry’between her

22/09/2026

Watch this animated science video which shows the evidence behind our ‘Healthy Islands, Healthy Reefs’ programme 🏝️🪸

Commissioned by Lancaster University researcher Dr Laura-Li Jeannot, it reveals an overlooked connection in reef ecology: how nutrients carried by seabirds from the open ocean nourish coral reefs below - and what happens when invasive species like rats wipe out seabird colonies 🐦

Using stable isotope analysis, the research tracks how seabird-derived nutrients move through reef food webs in the Seychelles (similar in tropical Indian Ocean geography to the Chagos islands), showing that healthy seabird colonies support larger, more abundant cryptobenthic fish - with knock-on benefits for the predator fish and fisheries that depend on them 🐠

🎥 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kwd73dK8f1A

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[Animation by Mair Perkins]

Commissioned by Lancaster University researcher Laura-Li Jeannot, t...

17/09/2026

“An updated indicator shows that 77.5% of assessed endemic species in the UK Overseas Territories are threatened with extinction, highlighting the importance of continued action within the UKOTs”, making the work we do at the Chagos Conservation Trust more important than ever 🏝️

To join us and help the Trust continue protecting, conserving, and educating the world about the unique environment of the archipelago and the precious wildlife that call it home, click on: https://chagos-trust.org/join/

Read more ⬇️
https://jncc.gov.uk/news/more-than-three-quarters-of-uk-overseas-territories-endemic-species-remain-threatened/

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An updated indicator shows that 77.5% of assessed endemic species in the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are threatened with extinction, highlighting the importance of continued conservation action within the UKOTs.

15/09/2026

📸 The usual screen shot of our team whilst we waited for everyone to join!

Today our Finance Committee met before our autumn online Board Meeting, attended by Trustees, staff and observers ⬇️

As usual, there was much to discuss, from our budget to our next expedition to the , our upcoming members’ talk and annual Away Day, which this year will feature in-person EDI and safeguarding training to ensure we as a charity have good practices embedded in our culture 💻

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10/09/2026

Our Director Sarah Puntan-Galea and CCT team members attended the screening of Sea Shepherd’s film ‘Before the last Octopus’ last night 🎥

It exposes one of the quieter crises facing the Mediterranean: illegal traps that are stripping the seabed bare. And follows the people on the front line, from fishing communities watching their catches decline to the dedicated Sea Shepherd campaigners working tirelessly to remove illegal fishing gear and drive unlawful operators out of protected waters ⛴️

Octopuses are among the most intelligent animals in the ocean. But across parts of the Mediterranean Sea, illegal and unregulated fishing is tragically threatening their survival while damaging the wider marine ecosystems and coastal communities that depend on healthy seas 🌊

Try to watch the film where you can - till you can, here is it’s trailer ⬇️
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GUYpAG5weXw

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Before The Last Octopus is the new documentary from Sea Shepherd, t...

08/09/2026

🎥 Grab a cuppa and watch Jon Slayer’s islands ‘icons’ video, and enjoy the beauty of the precious and unique wildlife that calls this important archipelago and its waters home 🏝️
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A look at some of the iconic wildlife of the Chagos Marine Protecte...