We’ve covered the story of rats and royalty at the Seychelles Islands extensively and the next step in stopping the construction of Qatari villas on turtle nesting sites is led by two Seychellois citizens — Victoria Duthil (from Friends of Aldabra) and Lucie Harter (from Seychelles at Heart). Can the right thing trump money?
The duo have filed a petition in the Constitutional Court of Seychelles seeking an injunction to stop construction of a luxury Qatari hotel development on Assomption Island, 20 miles from the Aldabra Atoll UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is known as the “outpost of evolution” but biologists are worried it will be a playground for rich Middle Easterners.
The Seychelles’ UNESCO island is under threat from luxury development with not so clean Qatari funds. And we have spoken with a handful of environmentalists, scientists and biologists on how wrong this Qatari project is. You can read the whole background on the story below in a series of articles we have posted.
As we speak, critical turtle nesting sites are being bulldozed, the island being sold by the government in a 70-year lease and with a blind eye.
The petition filed last month invokes Article 38 of the Seychelles Constitution (the right to a clean, healthy and ecologically balanced environment).
Assomption Island is next to the Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site globally recognised as one of the most important biodiversity hotspots on Earth. After decades of human degradation, Assomption was showing signs of ecological recovery, serving as a key habitat for sea turtles, butterflies, and other insects.
The Qatari-led construction project poses a serious risk of irreversible harm to these fragile ecosystems, threatening to undo decades of conservation work in the Outer Islands.
The claimants say that “legal action was taken to safeguard the constitutional right of every Seychellois to live in and enjoy a clean, healthy, and ecologically balanced environment, as stated in Article 38 of the Constitution of Seychelles.”
From the outset, “we have reported that this development has proceeded without transparency or legal safeguards. The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) was conducted by an NGO with financial and governance ties to the project contractor, raising serious concerns about conflict of interest.
“Construction began before any environmental accountability had been assigned: no environmental officer was present, no monitoring was in place, and the biosecurity protocol ignored—despite this being critical to prevent invasive species from devastating island ecosystems.”
Green Prophet interviewed turtle expert Jeanne Mortimer earning her the title of Madame Torti in the Seychelles. She was not consulted about how to safeguard the turtles but knows how it can be done.
“There is a lot going on behind the scenes related to Assomption. Actually I am somewhat optimistic. We will see…” Jeanne Mortimer told Green Prophet today. Our video with her has gone viral.
According to Mongabay and various NGO and media reports, the PR agency named The PC Agency is being used by Assets Group to promote the development and its narrative (for example, offering tourism packages). Also, Mongabay says that the London-based PR company: “Through a website run by its PR firm, the PC Agency, Assets Group has made it clear it is offering tourists an Aldabra islands package not limited to Assomption Island.”
“In May 2025, the Planning Authority issued a Stop Notice for these violations, but it appears to have been immediately waived or disregarded. Since then, evidence has surfaced of unauthorised dredging, light pollution visible from Aldabra that disrupts the behaviour of both terrestrial and marine species, and a photo of a gravely injured giant tortoise.”
It is common for Middle East developers to hire Londoners and Europeans to greenwash development projects in the Middle East. It is happening currently in Saudi Arabia with its Neom mega project.
Iranian architect Ronak Roshan tells Green Prophet greenwashing is happening by respected international organizations, including the greenwashing by the Aga Khan Foundation in promoting projects on islands that are definitely not good for turtles, nature or the environment. She writes her piece on Green Prophet from her home in Iran. And what they are doing on Hormuz Island.
Green Prophet has not received any comment from Assets Group. Or Aga Khan.
Follow Friends of Aladbra if you want to help and get involved.
Further reading on Green Prophet
- Seychelles and the battle with royalty, rats, and the last truly wild places left on Earth
- Seychelles’ Assomption Island Sold to Qatar: an alleged $50M deal
- Q&A: Dr. Nirmal Jivan Shah on Assomption Island and Qatar-backed development
- “They Knew They Shouldn’t Be There”: journalist Kevin Gepford on Aldabra
- They Call Her Madam Torti: Jeanne Mortimer and Seychelles sea turtles
- Yaniv Levy’s lifelong quest to protect sea turtles — and fears for Aldabra
- When conservation oversight isn’t independent: structural conflicts highlighted
