Around 100 people – including Trustees, members, staff, and friends of the Trust from the Chagossian community, conservation world, media and government – gathered at the Zoological Society of London on World Rewilding Day (20 March 2025) for CCT’s Annual General Meeting, Speaker Event, and reception. Others attended online.

It was the first AGM presented by the Trust’s Chair, Chris Davies, who was elected to the role at last year’s meeting. And the annual CCT Speaker Event was presented by the Trust’s Director, Sarah Puntan-Galea, which featured six talks on Chagos research updates, including:

• Dr Pete Carr (CCT) – “Vache Marine – 10 year On”
• Dr Mark Laidre (Darmouth College, USA) – “Coconut crab conservation: Chagos and beyond”
• Dr Mark Spalding (BIOTA/Nature Conservancy/Cambridge University) – “Terns and turtles, saltmarsh and sharks: barachois, a unique habitat in the Indian Ocean”
• Abishek (Ashoka University) – “Shifting dynamics in threat of illegal fishing to Chagos with a focus on the Indian fisheries context”
• Dr Clare Embling (Plymouth University) – “Is the Chagos Archipelago one of the last tropical refuges for cetaceans?”
• Dr Jodey Peyton (UKOTCF) – “Can invertebrates ever be as cool as sharks?”

A recording of the event is now available to view on the Trust’s YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/bZrIvga89d8?si=AVKp6qWtvycxcnaQ CCT members will receive the minutes from the AGM.

Photo of the event’s speakers:

Back row – Dr Mark Spalding, CCT Director Sarah Puntan-Galea, CCT Chair Chris Davies.

Front row – Dr Mark Laidre, Dr Pete Carr, Dr Clare Embling, Dr Jodey Peyton, and Abishek.

CCT Board and staff photo:

Back row – Dr Pete Carr (Programme Manager), Martina Reina Canitrot (Intern), Sarah Puntan-Galea (Director), Dr Ken Johnson (Secretary).

Front row: James Clarke (Treasurer), Dr Nicole Esteban (Scientific Advisor), Jean-Francois Nellan (Chagossian Community Lead), Steve Cole (Governance Lead), Chris Davies (Chair).