Brendon Grimshaw, a former British newspaper editor, famously purchased Moyenne Island in the Seychelles for a mere £8,000 in 1962. Rather than capitalizing on the property for commercial tourism, Grimshaw moved to the neglected, overgrown piece of land permanently in 1973 to restore its native environment. Working by hand alongside a local partner named René Antoine Lafortune, he spent the next several decades transforming the habitat: Reforestation: They planted around 16,000 trees, including native mahogany, restoring a vibrant canopy that brought native birds flocking back to the island. Wildlife Sanctuary: They successfully bred and introduced more than 100 Aldabra giant tortoises, an endangered species that roams the island freely today. Eco-Infrastructure: They carved 4.8 kilometers of nature trails through the wilderness to allow low-impact exploration.