restoring native mauritian forests for a sustainable island
TRANSCRIPT
Restoring native Mauritian forests for a sustainable island
Mauritius before People Arrived
From locations in
Mauritius emerged from the seabed about 8 million years ago in a series of volcanic eruptions
as an isolated lifeless volcanic island, miles from anywhere
Species colonised this lifeless rock by
WaterWind
Wing
Over many generations some of these new arrivals evolved into species found nowhere else on earthAnd interacted to form unique ecosystems with no species of mammals except bats
80% of native landbirds are unique to Mauritius
80% of native reptiles are unique to Mauritius
39% of native plants unique to Mauritius
37% of native insects are unique to Mauritius
The Heavy Hand of ManInvasive Alien Species
Introduced deliberately or accidently by people
MammalsCan eat native
species poorly
adapted to resist new predators
Crab-eating macaques(introduced
before 1606 )
Ship rats(swum ashore from
shipwrecksBefore 1598)
Indian mongooses(introduced in
1902)
PlantsCan
outcompete Mauritian
plants
Ravenal(from Madagascar
1751)
Chinese guava
(from South America 1763 or
before)
Liane cerf(from S & SE Asia 1785 or before)
Birds & ReptilesThat can
out-compete
their Mauritian relatives
Madagascarfody
Completes withMauritius fody
Indian ring necked parakeet
(Competes with native echo parakeet)
Indian house gecko
(Competes with native geckos)
Pests & Diseases
To which native
species have little resistance
Mass death of trees in 1800s
Cause unknown but likely to have been introduced pests or
diseases
TrichomonosisA major disease of pink pigeons
Beak & featherA major
disease of echo
parakeets
The Heavy Hand of ManPopulation
1950s: Malariabrought
under control
At 644 people per square kilometreMauritius is among the world’s top 10 most crowded countries
1850: Slaveryabolished and
growth inlabour coming
from India
1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 20000
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
2013
Popu
latio
n of
the
isla
nd o
f Mau
ritius
Date
The Heavy Hand of ManHabitat Destruction
Native forest has disappeared over the years
Native forest
Other land uses(includingnon-native forest)
Caused by land clearance for:
17731835
1872
1935
1997
RESULTNative Species have gone Extinct
33% ofMauritianReptiles
The dodo As Dead As The dodo
46% ofMauritianLandbirds
SMALL MAURITIANFLYING FOX
RAVEN PARAKEET
SADDLE BACKTORTOISE
4% ofMauritian
Plants
GIANT SKINK
RESULTAnd Many Species have become very Rare
The Loneliest Palm(Hyophorbe amaricaulis)
Down to the last knownplant
Over 60% of Mauritius’s remaining 315 endemic plant species are threatened with extinction
Boucle d'Oreille(Trochetia Boutoniana )
Mauritius’s National Flower
found in only one location in the wild
Fighting BackSpecies Recovery
Intensive Carefor Rare Species
Breeding rare species
Feeding rare species
Controlling pests and diseases
Moving rare species to safe places
Protecting thePlaces in which rare species are found
Controlling invasive species
No native bird, bat or reptile has gone extinct from the Mauritian mainland for over 150 years but the threat of extinction remains
1974: The world’s rarest falcon4 known wild birds including
ONE BREEDING PAIR
2011-2012: 400 wild birds
1986: The world’s rarest parrot8-12 known wild birds
2011: 540 wild birds
1989: The world’s rarest pigeon 13 known wild birds
2014: 470 wild birds
Species RecoveryHall of Fame
Fighting BackEcosystem Restoration
From 1941 conservation workers have been removing introduced plants and planting native species to restore Mauritian native forest ecosystems (plants and animals living in their natural environment).
These managed locations are known as Conservation Management Areas or CMAs
AcknowledgmentsHow do we restore our forests?
1. Clear Introduced plants
AcknowledgmentsHow do we restore our forests?
2. Plant native plants if necessary
AcknowledgmentsHow do we restore our forests?
3. Control non-native animals if necessary
AcknowledgmentsHow do we restore our forests?
4. Introduce rare native animals and plants and species as necessary
Pink Pigeons
Mauritius Fody
Hurricane Palm
Telfair’s Skink
AcknowledgmentsHow do we restore our forests?
5. Introduce “Analogue Species” as necessary
Aldabran Giant Tortoise
The Aldabran tortoise is not a Mauritian native species but both Mauritian giant tortoise species went extinct many years ago.
The Aldabran tortoise looks like and acts like the extinct Mauritian species. In other words it is an “analogue” to the extinct species”. The Aldabran tortoise helps to restore our forest in two ways:1. By eating non-native plants (“weeding”) and;2. By eating the fruits of native plants and spreading the seeds in their dung. This helps the plants to spread.
AcknowledgmentsHow do we restore our forests?
5. Keep managing the restoration area over time and allow nature to do the rest
Fighting BackEcosystem Restoration
19411944
19471950
19531956
19591962
19651968
19711974
19771980
19831986
19891992
19951998
20012004
20072010
20130
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Year
Cum
ulati
ve a
rea
wee
ded
(in h
ecta
res)
Increasing Area of CMAs from 1941 - 2014
UNDP-GEF PAN
Project
First UNDP-GEF
Mauritius Project
Black River
Gorges National
Park created
IUCN-WWF plants projec
t
1st Forest conservation
plot1st experimental weeded plot
Note: A hectare is about the size of a football pitch
1941- 2010: Progress has being madeBut the pieces are not all in place
Many Mauritians are not very involved in the work
Conservation in Mauritius has sometimes been dominated by technical specialists and not accessible to everybody
Restoration plots are still too small and not joined up
SMALLOnly one CMA is bigger than 10 ha
Not joined upThere are several kilometresBetween each neighbouring CMA
1941- 2010: Progress has being madeBut the pieces are not all in place
CMAs are not found in lowland forests andPlaces outside southwestMauritius
Not all important native ecosystems are underformal and active conservation management
Locations of CMAS managed by the Government of Mauritius in 2010
Finance neededFor conservation
$$
$$$$
Finance availableFor conservation
MAIN SOURCES OF FUNDING• Government of Mauritius• Projects
Protected area managementis expensive
Protected Endemic Sanctuaries
In 2010 the Government of Mauritius through the Ministry of Agro-Industries Food Production and Security (MAIFS) received
money from a Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Project through The United National Development Programme (UNDP) to work with its partners in the Government, in business, among private
landowners, communities and non-governmental organisations to improve conservation in Mauritius through the development of
Protected Endemic Sanctuaries (PES) - locations of outstanding importance for the conservation of Mauritius's unique plants and
animals.
Protected Endemic Sanctuarieshelping to join up the pieces
A near 4 times increase in area weeded since 2012
Making restoration areas bigger and “joining up the dots”
2010-2014
1941-2010 CMAS are being connected by
“restoration corridors”
Involving all Mauritians
TV, Radio, Posters, Billboards
Conservation road shows
Government workingWith private landowners conserve native forests
Conservation work with Mauritian businesses and volunteers
Creating conservation areas in parts of Mauritius where before there were none
Costs are coming down and money is coming from new
sources like Mauritian companies
AcknowledgmentsValue of restored forest
Saving Mauritius’s National HeritageSaving World Heritage
Mauritian forests contain species found nowhere else on earth
Value of restored forest
Beauty
Value of restored forest
BeautyCompare a restored to a degraded forest
Restored Forest Degraded Forest
Value of restored forest
Recreation and health
Mauritian native forests are places of calm and peace. A trip to the forest is a wonderful escape from the stress of everyday life
AcknowledgmentsValue of restored forest
Water Conservation
Mauritian trees help to protect the land against flooding, maintaining water that can be used in times of drought
AcknowledgmentsValue of restored forest
Mauritian trees are not as badly affected by cyclones as most non-native trees so they reduce the effects of cyclones such as soil loss and flooding
Protection from Cyclones
AcknowledgmentsValue of restored forest
Helping to Fight Climate Change
Many Mauritian trees have very hard wood which is made by removing carbon from the atmosphere so reducing CO2, the principal cause of climate change.
A slice through the trunk of a Mauritian ebony treeOne of the heaviest woods in the world
AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgements
PhotographsShip rat (H. Zell, courtesy of Wikimedia CC BY-SA)Indian mongoose (© Sugoto Roy)Chinese guava (ecos de pedra CC BY-NC-SA) from FlickrLiane cerf Shipher (士緯 ) Wu (吳 ) CC BY-NC-SA) from flickrIndian ring necked parakeet (Greg Tee CC BY-NC) from FlickrIndian house gecko (Bill and Mark Bell CC BY-NC-SA) from FlickrEcho parakeet with beak and feather disease (Vikash Tatayah)Pink pigeon with Trichomonosis (©Nancy Bunbury)Echo parakeet (©Lance Woolaver)Round Island (Pierre Argo)Other photographs by John Mauremootoo (CC BY-NC-SA), © Dennis Hansen and ©Christopher Kaiser
Private Sector PES Partners in 2014Ebony Forest Ltd, ChamarelLa Vallée de FerneyLa Vallée des Couleurs, ChamounyDomaine Saint Denis, Plaine Champagne Ramphul Estate, ChoisyBaie DU Cap Estate, Baie Du Cap
Paintings and MapsThe painting Mare aux Songes and paintings of four Mauritian extinct species reproduced by kind permission of Julian Pender Hume.Dodo painting (© NPCS)Maps of changes in indigenous forest cover in Mauritius adapted from Vaughan and Wiehe (1937)and Page and d’Argent (1997).