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Today is International Day of Forests, an event observed on 21st March every year to spread awareness about the importance of forests and their role in sustaining life on Earth. This year’s theme is “Forests and Food”, highlighting the important role forests around the world play in helping sustain life. In many countries, people have livelihoods from forests while many animals live and feed to a large extent, sometimes exclusively, in these areas.
In Mauritius, while people do not have to rely on native forests for food, many endemic animals do. The survival of these species depends on the flowers, fruits, seeds, and leaves provided by native and endemic plants, forming a delicate ecological balance that has evolved over millennia, if not millions of years.
Many of our endemic birds rely heavily on native forests for feeding. For example, the Critically Endangered Mauritius Olive White-eye (Zosterops chloronothos), a small passerine, is a daily visitor of the bois quivi (Turraea cassimiriana) tree on Ile aux Aigrettes when flowering, feeding on its nectar. The bois clou (Eugenia lucida) tree has small, fleshy fruits enjoyed by birds such as the Mauritius Fody (Foudia rubra) and the fruits of the bois maigre (Nuxia verticillata) are consumed by the last surviving parrot of Mauritius, the Echo Parakeet.
The Mauritius Kestrel, once on the brink of extinction, hunts large insects, small reptiles, and sometimes small birds that thrive in native forests, relying on these ecosystems for survival. The Pink Pigeon, another bird brought back from near-extinction, feeds on the leaves of a range of endemic plants, and distinctive flowers of the bois bouquet banané (Ochna mauritiana).
Just like endemic birds, the Mauritius Fruit Bats, often misunderstood and threatened by human activities, depend on trees such as the bois de natte (Labourdonnaisia spp.), bois d’ébène (Diospyros spp.) and bois de fer (Sideroxylon boutonianum), which produce nutritious fruits that sustain them. These bats play an essential role in pollination and seed dispersal, helping forests regenerate.
Reptiles also benefit from the resources found in native forests. The takamaka (Calophyllum inophyllum) provides food for endemic Phelsuma geckos, which in turn help control insect populations in the ecosystem. The lesser night gecko (Nactus coindemirensis), an endemic species found on a few offshore islands, finds shelter in tree bark and feeds on nectar producing trees and invertebrates drawn to native plants on islets. The Telfair’s skink (Leiolopisma telfairii) relies on fruits, nectar, invertebrates and other small animals supported by the palm forest on Round Island to survive. The ornate day-gecko is often seen licking nectar from flowers, including those of the bois de pomme (Syzygium spp.).
Without forests, the intricate web that sustains Mauritius’ endemic wildlife would collapse. Many of the country’s native species already face the pressure of habitat destruction, invasive plants, and competition and predation from introduced animals. Protecting and restoring native forests ensures that the animals that depend on them can continue to find food and survive.
