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Today is International Day for Biological Diversity, an UN-sanctioned day to raise awareness of biodiversity issues and celebrate life on Earth. This year’s theme is ‘Be part of the plan’ in reference to the ‘Biodiversity Plan’. This is a simplified name for the ‘Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)’ which was adopted during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) following a four-year consultation and negotiation process. This historic Framework, which supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and builds on the Convention’s previous Strategic Plans, sets out an ambitious pathway to reach the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. Among the Framework’s key elements are four goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030.
At the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF), we have been working for over four decades to save the rarest of the rare, even creating the plan. Inspired by Professor Carl Jones (Scientific Director of MWF) who was central to saving the Mauritius Kestrel and several other species, and the setting up of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, he has pioneered the concept that we needed to work on a very long-term vision since ‘there are no quick fixes’. Carl has pioneered the concept of the ‘100-year Vision’, inviting us to think about all of our projects on a very long-term Vision, with short-term, even annual, work plans. This concept is gradually being adopted by several other organisations.
The strategy allows us to build upon our decades of experience and successes and project ourselves a 100-year forward. What have we achieved so far in conservation? For example, the Mauritius Kestrel has been increased from just four birds to over 300 individuals today. We have saved the Echo Parakeet from near-extinction, hardly 20 birds to over 700 today. The Pink Pigeon has increased from a low of 8-10 known birds to around 600 today. The recovery of the Rodrigues Fody, the Rodrigues Warbler, and the Rodrigues Fruit Bat, have been more dramatic, from a handful to a few dozens to thousands-tens of thousands today. Similarly, the recovery of Günther’s gecko, Keel-scaled boa, and Telfair’s Skink have been nothing short but spectacular, and a taxa has even been saved from extinction, the Orange-tailed Skink.
And plants have not been forgotten: Zornia vaughaniana, thought extinct, was rediscovered by our staff and propagated, Syzygium pyneei (bois de pomme of Mondrain), known from just three trees now has over 60 seedlings all grown over the last year, and in Rodrigues, the café marron (Ramosmania rodriguesii) from being declared extinct was rediscovered and hundreds grow in Nature Reserves in Rodrigues and in cultivation today. Equally spectacular has been the recovery of the Hibiscus liliiflorus of Rodrigues (mandrinette) which declined to two individuals. The list could go on and on, but we are not resting on our laurels!
Whilst we would wish Mauritius to recreate forests to their former pristine state, that’s utopia. For example, Mauritius has lost 10 % of its endemic plants, and over 90 % of the remaining endemic plants are threatened, a long list of animals (Dodo, rails, geese, parrots, tortoise, small reptiles). This makes it almost impossible to fully rebuild our biodiversity. However, our goal is to recreate functional ecosystems for our surviving plants and animals to thrive. The most recent project we have embarked upon is the extension of the Mondrain Reserve which benefits from the European Union funding for the next five years. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation is working on doubling the size of the reserve from 5 to 10 hectares, and we have obtained a 60-year lease with Medine, the land owner. The current plan includes increasing the population of Hibiscus genevii and Syzygium pyneei, two plants which are only found there in the wild, and several other Critically Endangered plants.
All of our projects are profoundly thought upon on the very long term because we believe that a long-term Vision enables more functional, sustainable, and resilient ecosystems. And we will work tirelessly to prevent species from going extinct. That is our plan, now, for the next decade, and for the next 100 years!
