While a number of islanders had petitioned for the return of their former homes, their efforts have not been accepted by the US and UK legal systems.[44]. Diego Garcia, the largest and most southerly island, is 44 sq km in land … [70], On 18 March 2015, the Permanent Court of Arbitration unanimously held that the marine protected area (MPA) which the UK declared around the Chagos Archipelago in April 2010 violates international law. 2. mrs_trellis. The sovereignty is disputed between Mauritius, the Maldives and the United Kingdom, which considers it to be part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. By conserving and restoring this precious environment, we can contribute to important marine conservation and learn much about the natural ecosystems of our world. Anerood Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius, pointed out that it is the first time that the United Kingdom's conduct with regard to the Chagos Archipelago has been considered and condemned by any international court or tribunal.[29][30]. On 23 June 1976, Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches were returned to the Seychelles. Seventeen species of breeding seabirds can be found nesting in huge colonies on many of the islands in the archipelago, and 10 of the islands have received formal designation as Important Bird Areas, by BirdLife International. “For the Maldives, any uncertainty concerning the issue of the Chagos archipelago will have serious implications for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and the wider security of the Indian Ocean region.” She reiterated support for the UN’s decolonisation processes and stressed that the decision “should not be construed as a vote or a position taken against the co-sponsors of the resolution, with … The official insisted that the establishment of a marine park—the world's largest—would in no way impinge on USG use of the BIOT, including Diego Garcia, for military purposes. Until October 2010, Skipjack (Euthynnus pelamis) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) were fished for about two months of the year as their year-long migratory route takes them through Chagos waters. [45] Around 1,700 armed services personnel and 1,500 civilian contractors, mostly American, are stationed on Diego Garcia.[46]. Seeds and spores arrived on the emerging islands by wind and sea, or from passing seabirds. The most important natural attractions of Chagos Archipelago are protected by international conventions of the UN and especially the commitment of the UK. In 2010, the Maldives sought an extension of its Exclusive Economic Zone on the grounds that the UK had no right to claim a 200 nautical mile EEZ if … At 640,000 km2, it is larger than France or the US state of California. Britain purchased it for £3m - creating the BIOT. In Maldivian lore the whole group is known as Fōlhavahi or Hollhavai (the latter name in the Southern Maldives Adduan dialect of Dhivehi). Why is the Chagos Archipelago so important? The Chagos Archipelago (/ˈtʃɑːɡəs, -ɡoʊs/) or Chagos Islands (formerly the Bassas de Chagas,[2] and later the Oil Islands) are a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives archipelago. The Chagos Archipelago (/ ˈ tʃ ɑː ɡ oʊ s / or / ˈ tʃ ɑː ɡ ə s /) or Chagos Islands (formerly the Bassas de Chagas, and later the Oil Islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives archipelago. Environments of Chagos Archipelago provides rich biodiversity and support varieties of cetacean species within the vicinity,[54] such as three populations of blue whales[55] and toothed whales (sperm, pilot, orca, pseudo-orca, risso's and other dolphins such as spinners, and so on). Climate is characterised by plenty of sunshine, warm temperatures, showers and light breezes. Home | Europe | Asia | Africa | North America | Yahoo Travel | Google News | Google+ | Australia | Contact Us. Indonesia’s tourism sector depicted growth during 2010–2015, driven by the tourism ministry’s promotional campaigns such as “Wonderful Indonesia”. As of 2010[update], only the atoll of Diego Garcia has been transformed into a military facility. Moreover, the weak Indonesian currency against the US dollar led to rise in domestic trips which reached 255 million in 2015. As regards the resettlement on the Chagos Archipelago of Mauritian nationals, including those of Chagossian origin, the Court was of the view that this is an issue relating to the protection of the human rights of those concerned, which should be addressed by the General Assembly during the completion of the decolonization of Mauritius. Nov 04, 2014 [citation needed], Successive UK governments, both Labour and Conservative, have supported environmental conservation of the Chagos and have resisted attempts to allow the exiled Chagossians to return. The decision was taken as a full court with thirteen votes in favour and … The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to condemn the UK's continued occupation of the Chagos Islands -- a humiliating defeat for … Underwater treasure, however is large: over 370 species of coral, 800 species of fish, whole colonies of birds, sea turtles and crabs. [28] The protection of the marine reserve will be guaranteed for the next five years thanks to the financial support of the Bertarelli Foundation. The Chagos Environment Network cites several reasons for supporting a protected area: The UK government opened a three-month public consultation which ended after the 5 March 2010 about conservation management of the Chagos Islands and its surrounding waters. The only option to visit this beautiful place has its own yacht, which is not given to everyone on our planet. Similar even more beautiful pictures can make the Maldives a very good conditions for rest. When it became so is debated. A major British-U.S. military facility was built on Diego Garcia in 1971, and the plantations there were closed. It considered the events from February 2009 to April 2010, during which time the MPA proposal came into being and was then imposed on Mauritius.[29][30]. London then expelled the population of the islands, then numbering about 2,000 people, to build the air base. Also called British Indian Ocean Territory. Mar 30, 2016; is it true? As of 2010, 76 species that call Chagos home were listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In a press statement issued last week, Mancham suggested that Seychelles and the British government should engage in offering certain assistance and encouragement to the development of tourism in some parts of the Chagos archipelago.. Mancham said that Seychelles had over recent years acquired considerable experience in the … In 1965, Britain paid the self-governing colony of Mauritius £3 million for the archipelago and established the British Indian Ocean Territory, administered by the Commissioner of Mauritius. The issue of compensation and repatriation of the former inhabitants of several of the archipelago's atolls, exiled since 1973, continues in litigation and as of 23 August 2010[update] has been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights by a group of former residents. [7], The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has stated that Britain is legally obliged to hand back the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia, to Mauritius “as rapidly as possible.” This follows its landmark ruling that the UK’s occupation of the Chagos Islands was unlawful.[8]. An independent feasibility study led to the conclusion that resettlement would be "costly and precarious". International arrivals are projected to grow at an average annual rate of 3.3% over 2016–2020. [15], The French were the first to lay a claim on the Chagos after they settled Réunion (in 1665) and Isle de France (now Mauritius, in 1715). The Chagos archipelago has six atolls and a number of reefs. This administration is represented in the Territory by the Officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia, the "Brit Rep". The coconut crabs on Chagos constitute one of the most undisturbed populations in the world. Diego Garcia, the largest and most southerly island, has an area of 44km 2 . miles), the largest island, Diego Garcia, having an area of 32.5 km2. Coral reefs are scattered across the Indian Ocean, but let us note that here is the largest atoll in the world Great Chagos Bank. Fifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.[42][43]. Permalink to this post. [50] High water temperatures, however, caused coral bleaching in both 2015 and 2016 which resulted in the death of more than two thirds of corals. ‘Seychelles should assist and encourage acceptable tourism development within the Chagos archipelago’ – Mancham Seychelles’ founding President Sir James R. Mancham, KBE has commented on the article which appeared in the UK newspaper The Guardian of August 5, 2015 entitled – ‘Chagos Island – Exiled Chagossians could be allowed to return home under limited resettlement’. [68], On 1 April 2010, the British government Cabinet established the Chagos Archipelago as the world's largest marine reserve. The plantation workers and their families were initially moved to the plantations on Peros Banhos and Salomon atolls in the northwest of the archipelago; those who requested were transported to the Seychelles or Mauritius. In 1968, Mauritius gained independence from the British Empire. [51], The reefs are also home to at least 784 species of fish that stay near to the shores of the islands including the endemic Chagos clownfish (Amphiprion chagosensis) and many of the larger wrasse and grouper that have already been lost from over-fishing in other reefs in the region. You need to ask the FCO about that. Dunne R. P., Polunin N. V., Sand P. H., Johnson M. L., 2014. The British Indian Ocean Territory, or the Chagos Archipelago, is only accessibly by private vessel. In 1965, the UK bought the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius for £3 million. The last license to fish near the Chagos archipelago expired in 2010. However, the territory was ceded to Britain by treaty only after Napoleon's defeat, in 1814. The islands were settled by African slaves and Indian contractors who worked on the coconut plantations. Despite the loss of much of the coral in a bleaching event in 1998 the recovery in the Chagos was remarkable and overall coral cover increased year on year to 2014. It found that the UK's commitments towards Mauritius in relation to fishing rights and oil and mineral rights in the Chagos Archipelago are legally binding. In 1810, Mauritius became a colony of the United Kingdom and in 1965, the United Kingdom split Mauritius and … The number of atolls in the Chagos Archipelago is given as four or five in most sources, plus two island groups and two single islands, mainly because it is not recognised that the Great Chagos Bank is a huge atoll structure (including those two island groups and two single islands), and because Blenheim Reef, which has islets or cays above or just reaching the high-water mark, is not included. It is home to an astonishing diversity of life, and acts as a refuge for many threatened species. Britain failed to leave the Chagos Archipelago by November 2019, as instructed by the UN. Another feasibility study, commissioned by organisations supporting resettlement, found that resettlement would be possible at a cost to the British taxpayer of £25 million. The local population was forcibly expelled and the largest island, Diego Garcia, was leased to the United States. The summary paragraph of the referenced diplomatic cable follows: "HMG would like to establish a marine park or reserve providing comprehensive environmental protection to the reefs and waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) official informed Polcouns on May 12. The Chagos Archipelago is a group of seven atolls consisting of more than sixty islands, of which Diego Garcia is the largest and the only one inhabited. If the Chagossians return, they plan to re-establish copra production and fishing, and to begin the commercial development of the islands for tourism. [33], The Chagos had been part of Mauritius since the 18th century when the French first settled the islands. Features are listed in the table from north to south: The main natural resources of the area are coconuts and fish. Detailed market classification covering tourism flows, tourist expenditure and average expenditure per trip is provided. They named as well some of the atolls, such as Diego Garcia and Peros Banhos Atoll, mentioned as Pedro dos Banhos in 1513 by Afonso de Albuquerque. The largest individual islands are Diego Garcia (32.5 km2), Eagle (Great Chagos Bank, 3.1 km2), Île Pierre (Peros Banhos, 1.40 km2), Eastern Egmont (Egmont Islands, 2.17 km2), Île du Coin (Peros Banhos, 1.32 km2) and Île Boddam (Salomon Islands, 1.27 km2). Since 1971, only the atoll of Diego Garcia is inhabited, and only by military and civilian contracted personnel. Maldives opposes any 200 nautical mile EEZ claim based on Chagos Archipelago. In fact, it is very hard to get to at all, as the main atoll, Diego Garcia, is also a joint military facility of the USA and the UK. [49] Thick stands of branching staghorn coral (Acropora sp) previously protected the low-lying islands from wave erosion. [citation needed], Today, the status of the Chagos Islands’ native flora depends very much on past exploitation of particular islands. Former Seychelles President James Mancham welcomes the news. Fifty years after the inhabitants of the Chagos Islands were forced to leave photographs show how nature has reclaimed their homes. Britain failed to leave the Chagos Archipelago by November 2019, as instructed by the UN. Many islands in Maldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forest compose each ring-shaped island, and the highest islands reach only 5 m above sea level. In 2016 Adina was privileged to visit the Chagos Archipelago, also known as British Indian Ocean Territory. Diego Garcia is the largest atoll, is the location of a military base, and is strictly off-limits to cruisers. After Moresby took measurements of most of the atolls and reefs, the archipelago was charted with relative accuracy for the first time. In addition, advocacy on the Chagossians' behalf continues both in the United States and in Europe. [26] However, despite this islanders often found themselves in woefully inadequate housing and living conditions due to their expulsion by the British and subsequent resettlement spearheaded by the Mauritian government. While the remoteness of the Chagos offers some protection from extractive activities, legal and illegal fishing have had an impact. Visits to the islands are tightly controlled and certain restrictions put in place; some of the islands have been designated as Strict Nature Reserves and it is illegal to enter them. The Chagos contain the world's largest coral atoll, The Great Chagos Bank, which supports half the total area of good quality reefs in the Indian Ocean. Learn more about Diego Garcia here. The total area, including lagoons within atolls, is more than 15 000 km2, of which 12 642 km2 are accounted by the Great Chagos Bank, the largest acknowledged atoll structure of the world (the completely submerged Saya de Malha Bank is larger, but its status as an atoll is uncertain). According to Southern Maldivian oral tradition, local traders and fishermen were occasionally lost at sea and became stranded in one of the islands of the Chagos. The last license to fish near the Chagos archipelago expired in 2010. [6] On 22 May 2019, the United Nations General Assembly debated and adopted a resolution that affirmed that the Chagos archipelago “forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius.” The resolution demanded that the UK “withdraw its colonial administration … unconditionally within a period of no more than six months.” 116 states voted in favour of the resolution, 55 abstained and only 5 countries supported the UK. Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976, leaving only the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago of 2,300 islands. All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK–US military facilities are located. The UK has restricted access to the Chagos … Few remains of their culture have been left, although their language is still spoken by some of their descendants in Mauritius. In 2016 Adina was privileged to visit the Chagos Archipelago, also known as British Indian Ocean Territory. The Chagos Islands, also known as the Chagos Archipelago (formerly Bassas de Chagas) is a group of 7 tropical atolls making up 60 tropical islands located in the Indian Ocean. Reasons to buy. The Chagos Archipelago has a tropical oceanic climate; hot and humid but moderated by trade winds. Here are the clear waters of the Indian Ocean and ekostitemite in the area have proven resistant to climate change when there is no human intervention. Maldives has so much to offer with its 200 inhabited islands and 80 more which are chiefly used as resorts. [34] A subsidiary issue is the Mauritian opposition to the 1 April 2010 UK Government's declaration that the BIOT is a Marine Protected Area with fishing and extractive industry (including oil and gas exploration) prohibited. The licensing of commercial fishing used to provide an annual income of about US$2 million for the British Indian Ocean Territory authorities. There are currently no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. We stopped there for nearly four weeks taking refuge on route from the Maldives to the Seychelles during the transition season when winds in the northern and southern hemisphere change. Guide to the Chagos Archipelago/BIOT 2. enjoy, Mark. The resolution's immediate consequence is that the UN and other international organisations are now bound by UN law to support the decolonisation of the Chagos Islands. Diego Garcia is currently the only inhabited island in the Chagos, all of which comprise the British Indian Ocean Territory, usually abbreviated as "BIOT". Today, Chagos archipelago is a military zone and has served in launching B52's during operation Desert Fox in '98 in Iraq, and the various bombing attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq thereafter. The Commissioner is assisted by an Administrator and small staff, and is based in London and resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Chagos Islanders remind us that Britain is a shameful coloniser, not a colony . The tribunal considered in detail the undertakings given by the United Kingdom to the Mauritian Ministers at the Lancaster House talks in September 1965. On 30 December 1966, the United States and the United Kingdom executed an agreement through an Exchange of Notes which permit the United States Armed Forces to use any island of the BIOT for defence purposes for 50 years, until December 2016,[20] followed by a 20-year optional extension (to 2036) to which both parties must agree by December 2014. ONLINE. There are no separate names for the different atolls of the Chagos in the Maldivian oral tradition. The Chagos Archipelago is made up of over 55 islands. Most of the 1,800 islanders ended up living in Britain. To satisfy the terms of an agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States for an uninhabited island, the plantation on Diego Garcia was closed in October of that year.[25]. A local government as normally envisioned does not exist. Britain purchased it for £3m - creating the BIOT. [31], Litigation continues as of 2012[update] regarding the right of return for the displaced islanders and Mauritian sovereignty claims. The Chagossians and Their Struggle", "Mauritius: MPA Around Chagos Archipelago Violates International Law - This Is a Historic Ruling for Mauritius, Says PM", "MPA around Chagos Archipelago violates international law – This is a Historic ruling for Mauritius, says PM", "Chagossians fight for a home in paradise", "Chagos Islands dispute: UK 'threatened' Mauritius", "Chagos islanders cannot return home, UK Foreign Office confirms", https://maldivesindependent.com/politics/maldives-defends-un-vote-on-chagos-islands-dispute-145501, "Mauritius to reiterate its conditions for renewed talks with UK on Chagos", "Mauritius threatens to take Chagos Islands row to UN court", "U.K. seeks Indian help in resolving Chagos Archipelago dispute", "U.N. Asks International Court to Weigh In on Britain-Mauritius Dispute", "Chagos legal status sent to international court by UN", "UK suffers crushing defeat in UN vote on Chagos Islands", "Chagos islanders cannot return home, says Supreme Court", "Diego Garcia "Camp Justice" 7º20'S 72º25'E", "A Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Chagos", "Bleaching impacts on carbonate production in the Chagos Archipelago: influence of functional coral groups on carbonate budget trajectories", "Coral bleaching impacts from back-to-back 2015–2016 thermal anomalies in the remote central Indian Ocean", "Reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean: why it is the world's largest no-take marine protected area", "Sharks Crack The Case: Uncovering Illegal Activities In Paradise", The Creation of the Chagos Marine Protected Area: A Fisheries Perspective, "Concerns about the Chagos Archipelago MPA Proposal", "Conservation and Management in British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)", "Wetland and marine protected areas on the world heritage list", "Britain protects Chagos Islands, creating world's largest marine reserve", "UK sets up Chagos Islands marine reserve", "Welcome to the Chagos Conservation Trust | Chagos Conservation Trust", "Consultation on Whether to Establish a Marine Protected Area in the British Indian Ocean Territory", "WikiLeaks: Foreign Office accused of misleading public over Diego Garcia | Politics", "Hmg Floats Proposal For Marine Reserve Covering", ICJ 2019 Advisory Opinion on Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chagos_Archipelago&oldid=1000036938, Geography of the British Indian Ocean Territory, Articles with dead external links from July 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2018, Articles containing Portuguese-language text, Articles needing additional references from October 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2010, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles containing potentially dated statements from August 2010, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2012, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2015, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. 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