Mauritius Conservation

The arrival of the first settlers in Mauritius in the 1600s brought massive destruction to the hardwood forests and other vegetation on the island. Animals were hunted and also fell to non-indigenous predators such as rats.

Large parts of Mauritius were cultivated for use as sugar cane and spice plantations and a considerable amount of land on Mauritius is still used for agriculture. Thankfully, over the past 50 years assertive conservation efforts have helped to claw back some of what was so nearly lost.

There are now protected areas on the island, such as the Black River Gorges National Park, which supports much of the island's remaining indigenous forests and wildlife and active conservation efforts such as the one on the little island of ile aux Aigrettes.

Dead as a dodo

One animal you won't see, regrettably, is the dodo. This large, flightless bird is on the Mauritian coat of arms and is immortalised in Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland", but the dodo became extinct in the late 1600s.

Dodos were hunted into extinction, and their eggs and nests were plundered by rats and other animals that arrived on the island with the ships.

While dodos have become synonymous with stupidity - they reportedly had no natural fear of humans - the bird is also a symbol of human destruction and epitomises the need for conservation.

Hope for the future

Some of the conservation success stories include the Mauritius kestrel, which was once the rarest bird in the world. During the 1970s there were only four remaining individuals.

It is the only bird of prey in Mauritius, and still the rarest falcon in the world. Captive breeding and release programmes have saved this bird from extinction and there are now over 350 in the wild.

The pink pigeon was similarly brought back from the brink by captive breeding. This naturally tame and vulnerable bird fell victim to monkeys, rats and cats. The population in the forests is now approximately 250 from about 15 in 1985.

Request a Quote |  Add to my wishlist