The British government unsurprisingly wants to draw a line under that sorry history. On October 3rd it announced plans to cede sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius (see Britain section). But the deal is a mistake. It mishandles Britain’s historical obligations and the West’s future military needs in favour of a debatable territorial claim.

The environmental impacts of a change in management and human activity depends on what, if any, development takes place and how it is managed.

After years of legal wrangling and negotiations, Britain said it would surrender sovereignty of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean.