A 2026 survey puts the number of Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) on Aldabra Atoll at 180,000–183,000, exceeding the human population of Seychelles. The Seychelles Islands Foundation and the University of Exeter carried out the study using data gathered during 2018–2022. Aldabra, a coral atoll in the western Indian Ocean and the species' native home, became a Strict Nature Reserve in 1981, and UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1982. Numbers had dropped below 1,000 in the 19th century before conservation helped them rebound. Drought, rising sea levels and invasive species remain threats.