I enjoyed Raj Meetarbhan?s editorial this morning ?Les ONG s?éclipsent? and I wanted to react to one of the issues: that of the role and responsibilities of environmental NGOs.

In a simple scheme, our modern Mauritian society comprises three parts ? government, private enterprise and civil society. ?L?express? is a private enterprise company while Friends of the Environment is part of the civil society. Of course, individuals might form part of all three at once, so a government employee might also possess a business and belong to an NGO, but normally his or her participation in each of these three sectors is kept separate.

Who forms the ?civil society? sector in Mauritius? The environmental NGOs are composed of people from all walks of life, from full-time university academics to retired fishermen. What binds them into an NGO? A desire to do something to conserve our nature and to improve the management of the environment. We all know that left to themselves, both the government or the private sector run the risk of ending up in dead-end of mismanagement or over-exploited resources. Time and again there are examples of such disasters, from the lagoon fishery of Mauritius which has been catastrophically managed for nearly 30 years now, to the marine parks or the practices concerning solid waste disposal. The civil society, including NGOs, can only attempt to influence both the other sectors, through sensitization, exposition of alarming situations and by conducting projects aimed at improving the situation.

However well NGOs do act as watchdogs, they need to be fed and nourished, and most some kind of encouragement. Therein lies the rub ? in Mauritius the public frequently have an attitude ?Where are the NGOs?? when there is a disturbing situation. They have an attitude as if it is the job of the NGO to provide all the information and the solutions to a problem. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Most NGOs have NO regular supply of funds, most receive no or extremely few funds from the government, the private sector providing a little more. Nearly all NGOs are largely if not wholly manned by private individuals who provide their time, resources and knowledge on a totally non-remunerated basis.

You can read articles about the efforts made in two cases of ?heritage attack? (natural and cultural heritage) which clearly show the enormous efforts made by simple individuals over sustained time periods to preserve the vanishing and mismanaged heritage of Mauritius. Let me tell you, year after year and decade after decade of keeping abreast of what is happening, examining the situation and analyzing why things are happening and what could be done about them, it is extremely fatiguing.

While the politicians who run government get well-paid and prestigious positions, and the private sectors employees get a salary, NGOs take many risks putting their necks out in defending issues against the monoliths of vested political and financial interest, and generally the only return they get is the satisfaction that they have introduced another perception to yet another potential risk situation concerning the environment or heritage.

I thank you for your attention and for contributing to encouraging individuals, whether they work for government or private enterprises, to play a role in civil society. That is what we need ? more support for NGOs and more private individuals assuming their responsibility as citizens.

<B>Philippe LA HAUSSE DE LALOUVIÈRE</B> President: Friends of the Environment, Scientific Advisor: MMCS

No open confrontational means

Following recent articles on îlot Gabriel and Flat Island the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) wishes to clarify its role as a Conservation Non Government Organisation.

...As a member of several national forums including the Nature Reserves Board we put forward our views to the Government of Mauritius on matters pertaining to conservation. We bring to the attention of these Boards issues that are of concern. If we feel that the issues are not being properly addressed we look into alternative means of conveying our concerns. We do not utilize open confrontational means to express our views.

...The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation has been involved in the conservation of Flat Island and îlot Gabriel for many years and recognises that these are some of the most important sites for conservation in Mauritius, with a range of highly endangered endemic species. These include Psiadia arguta (Baume de l?île Plate) and Oldenlandia sieberi var sieberi, two Critically Endangered plants on Îlot Gabriel, and the Gongylomorphus fontenayi sp. (Orange-tailed Skink) and Nactus coindemirensis (Lesser Night Gecko) on Flat Island. Recognising that these endemic species were threatened by the presence of rodents, MWF has collaborated with the National Parks and Conservation Service towards their successful eradication. These islands are of great international importance and they need to be carefully managed to ensure that their biodiversity flourishes and their potential for further conservation maximized.

Concerning îlot Gabriel, the lease conditions protect the island?s Nature Reserve status. The appropriate authorities must ensure that these conditions are upheld and enforced...

We have not viewed the lease conditions for Flat Island, which is also a Nature Reserve, but understand that these will be available for review in the near future. We are requesting that Discover Mauritius Ltd present their plans for Flat Island to the Nature Reserves Board.

We have not been consulted by Ocean Blue Island Company Ltd or Discover Mauritius Ltd. At our request, we met with the management of Discover Mauritius Ltd one year ago and no further contact was made until yesterday when we were invited for a meeting.

Felix MAUREL President, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation