The World's Smallest National Park

In 1962, British newspaper editor Brendon Grimshaw bought a tiny island in the Republic of Seychelles for £8,000. He moved onto the uninhabited Moyenne Island and went to work. For the next four decades, Grimshaw cleared the island of invasive species and planted thousands of native trees as well as other plants. He carefully maintained a couple of the island's historic sites, like a purported pirate's hideout and a gravesite, as well as the homes of previous owners. He also built a path around the entire island to those sites, which is barely more than a mile long. Grimshaw brought in and raised giant tortoises. Those years of work transformed Moyenne into a tropical paradise of birds, geckos, tortoises, palm trees, and more. The 24-acres island is now Moyenne Island National Park, the smallest national park in the world, but one that people go to great lengths to visit.

To preserve the island's nature, the number of visitors is strictly limited. But you can see its beauty in a post at Moss and Fog. -via Nag on the Lake

(Image credit: Camera Eye)