Mauritius - Round Island

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Round Island’s troubles began in the 19th century, when goats and rabbits were introduced as a food source for fishermen, seabird-egg hunters and shipwreck victims. True to their form, these animals multiplied like flies, relentlessly munching away the hardwood forest on the upper slopes and the palm savanna on the lower slopes, which resembled that present in the drier areas of Mauritius, circa 1500.

Conservationists realised that urgent action had to be taken if Round Island’s remaining plants and animals were to be saved. In 1976, the late Gerald Durrell and John Hartley made their first visit there. They were aghast at what they found: only two hurricane palms and eight Round Island bottle palms remained. The three species of skink and three species of gecko fed on a dwindling insect supply, and the two species of primitive boa on the diminishing lizard supply. Immediately, captive-breeding programmes were started at Jersey Zoo for the endemic reptiles. The Mauritius Government, under the Conservator of Forests and Wildlife Director A Wahab Owadally, rid the island of its goats by 1979. But the 3,000 undernourished rabbits still presented a major problem. So, the DWCT finally enlisted the assistance of the equally renowned New Zealand Department of Conservation. In 1986, the rabbits were completely eradicated.

The results have been spectacular, to say the least. Almost immediately, most of the island’s endemic and indigenous plants began sprouting scores of seedlings. The subsequent increase of fruit and insects has resulted in substantial increases in the reptile populations. The Forestry Department and a MWF botanist carried out an extensive programme to weed exotic plants and replant indigenous species. Today, the keel-scaled boa, Round Island day gecko and Telfair’s skink are present in healthy, flourishing populations and new projects to fully restore the vegetation of the island and study the reptiles have been initiated by the MWF and its partners. Round Island represents one of the most spectacular examples of a DWCT-led conservation triumph and there are now plans to apply for World Heritage status for Round Island. British zoologist/author Nick Garbutt, who visited Round Island several times while working in Mauritius, provides a fascinating report:

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Mauritius - Round Island

Natural History

Mauritius - Round Island