care and precision can be owned by the Seychelles.’ Indeed, if privacy and space are of premier consideration in today’s luxury property market, then ecological and environmental impact is certainly not secondary.
Investors will not just be taking ownership or a stake in a high-end residence, they will be participating in a unique and inspiring project to restore the island to its original ecological state before the arrival of man, in the 18th century. Whilst some projects may talk up their credentials in this area, Zil has its own mouthpiece in the form of an onsite specialist botanist/engineer. Bond eyed up Mr Steve Hill. Six feet two inches
of hardy, weathered South African, this man was the key to the island’s unique self-sufficiency and ecological quality. He looked like he could handle himself. Bond would need to be careful. But first, he would listen.
A trained civil engineer, Hill’s passion for botany first took him to the Seychelles island of Frigate, where he spent 12 years restoring the indigenous environment for a local 5 star resort. ‘In essence, we created something like a whole new science because we had to learn everything from scratch. No one had been able to make hydroponics work in a tropical micro-climate because the high humidity, water based systems don’t work. It was trial and error but we got there.’
Hill uses old botanical catalogues, featuring the delicate watercolours of crinoline-wearing, Victorian ladies (probably) to research and categorise which plants would have been indigenous (from the region) and which would have been endemic (from the actual islands).
‘These are fragile eco-systems. All the Seychelle islands have been compromised in the last 300 years. They were turned into massive coconut plantations.. There was a wide variety of bird and plant life before colonisation. We have to turn back the clock.’ The Jurassic Park theme continues with a dusty ride in the back of a pick-up to see the thousands of plants being cultivated in the island’s nurseries. Over 36,000 seedlings are in various stages of preparation for future planting. Some planting has already begun in strategic areas of the island. As well as once extinct, delicate plants, such as the perfume ingredient, white gardenia, there were potential natural remedies (which will be used by the island’s own spa) and food stuffs. Thanks to Steve’s hydroponic expertise the island’s carbon footprint will be kept to a minimum. ‘We won’t need to fly in every ingredient. Residents will be able to select their own salads and vegetables with the chef, who will later cook it.’ Bond nodded, firstly pleased that his studied, natural charm had yet again wormed much vital exposition from an unsuspecting colonial and secondly, finding himself curiously impressed with
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