A tiny, almost barren island in the Indian Ocean has become a battleground in this weekend's elections in Seychelles, prompting global environmental concern.
Assumption Island, in the western Indian Ocean, possesses little at first glance that would set even the most curious and intrepid traveller's pulse racing.
Stripped almost bare and blisteringly hot, with few man-made structures, it covers an area similar to London's Heathrow Airport and is, arguably, only slightly more scenic.
Yet this tropical island anomaly - both geographically remote, and far from the popular ideal of lush paradise - has become a hotspot for geopolitical powers and eco-warriors, plus a political lightning rod in Seychelles, the country that owns it.
Situated 1,140km (700 miles) from Seychelles' most populous main island, tourist-friendly Mahé, Assumption Island is a sausage-shaped, coralline finger of low-level scrub, fringed by casuarina trees.
It was ravaged for its nitrogen-rich guano (seabird droppings) and agricultural use ended decades ago.
But now, Assumption Island's strategic position and ecological value is priceless.
The island lies close to this century's Silk Road – the busy commercial shipping lanes carrying manufactured goods and materials from East Asia to Africa and beyond. India was keen to build a military base on Assumption but was rebuffed.
Permanent or de facto ownership has so far been off the cards thanks to pressure from the proud Seychellois public. As the tiny republic goes to the polls in presidential and parliamentary ballots, Assumption is a key electoral touchpoint.
At least under my watch, there will never be a foreign military base in Seychelles, President Wavel Ramkalawan tells BBC News, on the eve of polling. We are not interested in the geopolitics. We remain outside.
So the lease of Assumption Island, or at least part of it, to the Qatari royal family has stirred sensitivities. Via a Middle East investment company, Assets Group, the Qataris are currently building an exclusive, 40-villa luxury resort there, with an upgraded concrete airstrip capable of receiving executive jets, far from prying eyes.
Assumption has one of the longest beaches in Seychelles, which is probably one of the most important green turtle nesting beaches in our country, says conservation campaigner Lucie Harter. It's a really important place to preserve.
Crucially, Assumption Island is the gateway to the Unesco-listed Aldabra atoll, just 27km (17 miles) to the north. One of the most pristine and fragile ecosystems in the world, Aldabra is home to 400 species found nowhere else on the planet. Sir David Attenborough described it as one of the world's greatest natural treasures.
But noisy neighbours risk disrupting nature's delicate equilibrium.
We've seen that picture of a tortoise shell that has been smashed by construction machinery, says Ms Harter. Where is the oversight? There's no transparency. The way these decisions are taken is quite under the table.
A stop notice on the development, issued by the country's planning authority in May this year, appears to have been ignored. Construction work continues.
Last week, two campaign groups, Friends of Aldabra and Seychelles at Heart, lodged an injunction against the government at the country's Constitutional Court to halt the project, pending a fuller, verifiably independent environmental impact study and guarantees that international observers will ensure nature is protected.
Ramkalawan, an ordained Anglican priest who signed the deal with Qatar last year, is unrepentant. He is quick to point out that remote Seychelles, with a population of just over 120,000, faces unique challenges. The Assumption lease, entailing Qatari occupation for 70 years with a $20m (£15m) down payment, was a simple calculus.
What's wrong with it? he asks. We have all those Hilton hotels. The Qataris are bringing in [luxury hospitality operator] Rosewood as the hotel company that will be running it. We've got to look for investment in order for us to survive.
The cleric and his party, Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), won power five years ago on a strong anti-corruption ticket, assuming office in the midst of a global pandemic.
Covid-19 rapidly emptied tourism-dependent Seychelles' hotels and guest houses and, soon after, the public coffers. Yet despite his government's nimble response and Seychelles' remarkably swift economic bounce-back, his popularity teeters.
Assumption's protection is proving more persuasive for many voters than their country's positive economic indicators: Moderate gross national debt compared to GDP (58%) – well below much larger and more developed economies; IMF-forecast GDP growth of 5.8% this year; rebuilt foreign reserves ($800m); low unemployment rate (3.5%) and recent foreign investor risk upgrade by Fitch's Ratings to stable.
Numbers can lie, insists Ramkalawan's main challenger for the presidency, Dr Patrick Herminie, leader of the opposition United Seychelles (US) party.
We are very sceptical about all those ratings, he says. We're getting poorer. People can't afford two meals per day. These ratings are based on statistics given by this government. And this government is notorious for cooking the books. The government denies any wrongdoing.
Many think the Assumption row could help sweep Dr Herminie to power, as he campaigns to clean up politics and rid public administration of corruption.
He tells the BBC that his own arrest two years ago on suspicion of using witchcraft for political gain shocked him. I was even more shocked that the president actually believed that a coup d'etat could be done using witchcraft. And the warrant was even more ridiculous - they came here to search for dead human bodies and bones.
The medic's party, a re-branding of late President France-Albert René notoriously repressive socialist SPPF, still proudly invokes René's name and image. It has committed itself to a René-esque welfare boost, lowering the retirement age back to 63, slashing island bus fares by 40% and increasing social security benefits.
Herminie has promised, however, there will be no return to the Seychelles' dark past that included the murder, exile and disappearances of political dissidents.
Such assurances have encouraged some flag-bearers for Ramkalwan's government to switch their allegiance, including Alexander Pierre, mastermind of LDS' victorious election campaign five years ago. Its supporters accuse him of treachery, while he accuses the government of flip-flopping and delivering just a third of its manifesto promises after five years.
For some, the Assumption Island deal looks like one broken promise too many.
From an initial 11 presidential hopefuls – one for every 7,000 electors – eight remain in the race. A second round run-off is possible if initial polling produces no outright winner. Voters will also choose members for their 26-seat National Assembly.
Firebrand newspaper proprietor and independent presidential candidate Ralph Volcere has used his weekly publication to denounce the priest-president as a self-serving autocrat – and has since been banished from State House press calls.
Every project, every sector, corruption is there, says Volcere, an electoral outlier but potential second-round kingmaker.
What I have been fighting for is justice, he says. You cannot circumvent the legal process. It doesn't matter who you are.
However, Volcere has himself himself come under fire for championing the cause of Mukesh Valabhji - a wealthy Seychellois businessman and former advisor to late President René on trial for illegal possession of weapons. He is also awaiting a second trial on corruption charges, alongside former First Lady Sarah René and others, in which Valabhji is accused of syphoning off tens of millions of dollars of Emirati-donated cash. He denies any wrongdoing.
Chief among Volcere's policies is the decriminalisation of recreational cannabis, which he believes would put Seychelles' drug lords out of business and bring down the high number of working age people addicted to drugs - currently standing at 10%, according to official government data.
Much of the heroin landing on these islands is drawn off the shipping lanes that pass close to Assumption Island. Nobody has yet found a way to stop it. Many suspect vested interests are to blame, but fear naming names.
What is lacking since a very, very long time, says Volcere, is good governance, transparency and accountability. If that is put into practice then we are 50% there.
This weekend's elections may deliver a clearer sense of whether or not that is likely.
