Environment – Nature conservation

Natural environments are the key players to the island's natural balance. Mountains, forests and lagoons preserve this essential balance. Following on from here are several useful and essential pieces of information regarding environmental protection.

Nature Conservation

The Forests

It's been a long time since the luxuriant forests cover the whole surface of Mauritius.  But, with the arrival of the first settlers in the 17^th century, the landscape has greatly changed.  Today, there are 12 000 hectares of forests, amongst which, 3% are only primary forests.   

Natural environments are the key players in the island's natural balance.
- They are cyclone-resistant
- They protect hills from erosion
- They make water resources durable

Together with Réunion Island, Madagascar and neighbouring Indian Ocean islands, Mauritius is part of the 25 areas of the world where preservation is a priority due to its outstanding biodiversity.

Far away from any other competitive natural environment, tropical islands' natural environments stand as the most vulnerable in the world.  Fires, clearings, taking of species and urban development lead to the extinction of many species and the disappearance of natural environments.

Foreign species, both vegetal and animal, have invaded the different natural environments and contribute to the environmental imbalance.

How to keep the environmental balance of Mauritius

Take your waste back home even if it is biodegradable. Waste attracts rats which are the main predators of baby birds. Moreover, stones and seeds can be at the origin of the invasion of undesirable species.
Don't light open barbeques so as to avoid fires.
Follow the indicated trails to avoid an environmental imbalance.
Don't bring any plant or animal to Mauritius!

Don't pick anything!

Enjoy being in the wild but don't pick any plant or take any animal.
Picking, hunting and fishing are under control.

The Lagoon

The lagoon and its coral reef is host to thousands of species, which makes it one of the richest and most complex lagoons of the world.

The 150km of coral reefs that extend along the coast of Mauritius play a key role:
- They protect the shore from heaves and erosion
- They are the origin of white sandy beaches and calm water areas known as ‘lagoons'.
- They act as nurseries: numerous fish reproduce and grow up here.

Lagoons are fragile environments and they suffer from human influence.
Many sectors, like agriculture or waste water management can damage the coral and generate the proliferation of competitive species (seagrass, sponges...)

A coral head is made of many polyps. The polyps feed on microscopic plankton which they catch using their tentacles.
For many different species, the coral reef constitutes their habitat.

Don't gather anything!

The presence of life in the reef results from a complex balance between all the species.  Taking specimens (coral, shells, fish) contributes towards environmental imbalance in a long term.

Even on the beach, don't gather the coral. Over time, thanks to the ocean's movements, it will be transformed into white sand.
Don't throw anything away!
Don't forget to bring back your waste and cigarette ends!
Don't break anything!
Corals are living beings and grow slowly.
It takes many years for a coral to grow but only a few seconds to destroy it.
Don't walk on the corals