Mauritius - Natural History

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Around 7½ million years ago, the lava that created Mauritius rose above sea level, throwing up the mountain ranges of Grand Port, Moka and Black River. Later, light grey rock, also of volcanic origin, was scattered across the island on a northeast–southwest axis, giving rise to Bassin Blanc, Trou aux Cerfs and the Kanaka Crater. Fragile ecosystems evolved gently in a predator-free haven.

First to appear on the lava formations were pioneer plants, like lichens, mosses and ferns. These were followed by other plants, seeds of which were brought by birds or washed on to the shores by the sea. In time, most of the island was swathed in lush rainforest. Where rainfall was lower, palm savanna replaced forest.

Some invertebrates, birds and bats found their way to Mauritius deliberately; others came accidentally due to gale-force winds. Reptiles (and more invertebrates) arrived by means of floating vegetation or driftwood. In time these evolved into a myriad species unique to Mauritius. When examining Mauritian fauna in terms of its links elsewhere, connections with the other Indian Ocean islands, Africa, Australasia and Asia are apparent.

Man’s arrival in the Mascarenes signalled a wave of extinctions paralleled only by that which occurred in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Magnificent tropical hardwood forests were felled for construction, export and agriculture. It is not clear exactly how many endemic plant species were lost. Today, only token remnants of the original forests remain, mostly in the Black River Gorges National Park. But even there, fast-growing introduced plants have swamped the indigenous species.

With the original forests went a remarkable ensemble of animals, the most famed of which is the dodo (dronte). Also wiped out quickly – as in the other Mascarenes – were herds of giant tortoises and, offshore, the gentle, vulnerable dugong. Apart from the dodo, at least 20 species of endemic birds were exterminated.

The situation was worsened considerably by the introduction of man’s ghastly, invasive animal entourage: dogs, cats, rats, monkeys, rabbits, wild pigs, goats and deer all wreaked havoc on the island ecosystem, just as they have done on other islands around the globe. Further introductions were tenrecs (similar to hedgehogs) from Madagascar, mongooses and musk shrews, all of which have affected native fauna adversely. Snakes were also introduced, along with a host of birds, most of which now far outnumber the few remaining indigenous species.

By 1970, the situation for the remaining endemic Mauritian plants and animals looked horribly bleak. Some conservation organisations abroad wrote the Mascarenes off as ‘paradise lost’. In the mid 1970s, the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (then the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust) and the Mauritian Government stepped in.

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