Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, is renowned for its spectacular biodiversity, representing a significant proportion of the world’s species within just a tiny fraction of the global land area. This small island, alongside its neighboring territories of Rodrigues, St. Brandon, and Agaléga, supports an incredibly diverse range of ecosystems, from lush tropical forests to coastal mangroves and coral reefs. It is part of the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot, one of the 36 globally recognized areas noted for their unique flora and fauna. The island’s isolation from the mainland has allowed the evolution of a distinct biodiversity not found anywhere else on Earth.

The richness of Mauritius’s biodiversity includes a number of endemic species, such as the famous, though now extinct, dodo bird. Today, the island is home to unique but critically endangered species like the Mauritian kestrel, the pink pigeon, and the echo parakeet. Mauritius’s coral reefs are vibrant ecosystems teeming with marine life, providing critical habitat for a multitude of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks while also offering natural protection against oceanic waves.

	Score	Rank	Change
Total Score – NCI 2024	52.9	121	N/A
Land Management	40	162	N/A
Protected Areas (Terrestrial)	14	164	N/A
Ecological Representativeness of Terrestrial Protected Areas	63	68	N/A
Connectedness of Terrestrial Protected Areas	21	171	N/A
Protected Areas (Marine)	0	130	N/A
Pristine Habitat (Converted Land)	100	1	N/A
Sustainable Nitrogen Management (Soil Pollution)	41	77	N/A
Sustainable Pesticide Use
Threats to Biodiversity	55	149	N/A
Threatened Species (Terrestrial)	64	165	N/A
Threatened Species (Marine)	76	20	N/A
Threatened Species’ Coverage by Protected Areas	70	143	N/A
Species Coverage by Marine Protected Areas	72	118	N/A
Species with Declining Populations (Terrestrial)	27	106	N/A
Species with Declining Populations (Marine)	0	10	N/A
Depleted Fisheries	0	39	N/A
Fishery Pressure in the High Seas	100	81	N/A
Invasive Species Pressure	83	138	N/A
Capacity and Governance	71	26	N/A
Total Management Cost	100	15	N/A
Conservation Culturomics	52	51	N/A
Conservation Legislation	43	66	N/A
Ratification of CBD	100	1	N/A
Ratification of CITES	100	1	N/A
Political Stability and Absence of Violence	70	3	N/A
Control of Corruption	58	52	N/A
Government Effectiveness	66	35	N/A
Future Trends	46	69	N/A
Climate Change Mitigation	46	69	N/A

Four pillars elaborated:

Land Management

Mauritius boasts a wide range of protected areas such as national parks, marine parks, nature reserves, and other conservation zones. The primary objective of these protected areas is to safeguard the island’s exceptional biodiversity and natural heritage. Some of the noteworthy protected areas in Mauritius are the Black River Gorges National Park, Balaclava Marine Park, Blue Bay/Le Chaland Marine Park, and the Perrier Nature Reserve. These areas are managed for conservation, education, and limited recreational use.

Mauritius is committed to expanding its protected area network, addressing gaps in representation, and improving conservation efforts for its diverse ecosystems and species. The country’s protected area system encompasses national parks, marine parks, fishery reserves, and nature reserves, covering both terrestrial and marine environments.

Threats to Biodiversity

The primary threats to biodiversity are categorized into two main areas: potential biodiversity loss and habitat degradation or loss. The leading causes of these threats include land clearing for development, particularly on privately-owned lands, the introduction and spread of invasive alien species, modifications of habitats for deer ranching, pollution from terrestrial sources and activities, predominantly from nonpoint sources, and the harmful effects of climate change. As understanding of its impacts grows, climate change is becoming a more prominent concern.

Capacity and Governance

Over the past decades, Mauritius has integrated biodiversity conservation, management, and sustainable use into various development strategies across sectors like agriculture, tourism, and fisheries. These efforts are reflected in a series of strategic plans and policies such as the National Environmental Strategies, Climate Change Action Plan, and the National Forest Policy, among others. Additionally, Mauritius has developed specific legislation and regulatory frameworks to protect biodiversity, including the Plant Protection Act and the Fisheries and Marine Resources Regulations. The country has also engaged in international partnerships and received funding from organizations like the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the European Union, enhancing its capabilities in biodiversity preservation through financial and technical support.

Future Trends

Mauritius is committed to significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2025, enhancing ecosystem resilience to climate change, and beginning to develop an ecosystem-based economy that invests in restoring biodiversity values.

Biodiversity

Mauritius is renowned for its diverse and largely endemic wildlife, including the historically iconic but now extinct Dodo bird, and living species like the Pink Pigeon. The island’s fauna features a range of birds, reptiles, and a few mammal species, notably the Mauritius Kestrel and the Mauritian flying fox. Due to its volcanic origin, age, and isolation, Mauritius hosts unique biodiversity. Notably, it is home to just a couple of mammal species including the Mauritius Flying Fox and Rodrigues Flying Fox.

The avian population is particularly varied, with over 100 bird species present including Albatrosses, Petrels, Tropicbirds, Herons, Flamingos, Eagles, Kestrels, Falcons, Pheasants, Pratincoles, and Terns. Among these, endemic and endangered species such as the Mauritius Kestrel, Parakeet, Cuckoo-shrike, Bulbul, White-Eye, Fody, and the Rodrigues Brush Warbler stand out. The reptilian life is also rich, with the Aldabra Giant Tortoise being the world’s only remaining wild giant tortoise species found in local reserves. Sadly, the native Domed and Saddle-backed Giant Tortoises.

In the table below are the number of known species in several main groups, how many of these species are Threatened with extinction, and how many of them are Endemic (unique to Mauritius only):

	Species (World rank)	Threatened	% Threatened	Endemic	% Endemic
Mammals	28 (#189)	7	25.0%	2	7.1%
Birds	76 (#201)	12	15.8%	14	18.4%
Reptiles	30 (#143)	10	33.3%	21	70.0%
Amphibians	2 (#183)
Fishes	1,108 (#37)	57	5.1%	5	0.5%
Plants	1,949 (#150)	91	4.7%	273	14.0%