Mauritius has one of the richest and most endangered island biotas in the world. There is less than 2 % of the original forest left, over 100 species are already extinct and about double that number are known from less than 50 individuals in the wild.

Mauritius is signatory to many national and international documents that pledge commitment to the protection of the remaining biodiversity; these include the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) signed and ratified in 1992 and its associated Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (2002) with the objective to halt the current and continuing loss biological diversity.

For any country in the world, these pledges are easier to sign than to put into action as there is also a need to develop and continue to build economies. But should biodiversity stand in the way of development ? Two recent examples on this island include the motorway construction at Wooton that killed the last known individual of Ficus Densifolia, and the Midlands dam project that destroyed the last wild population of Crinum Mauritianum.

The South Eastern Highway Project has again confronted the Government of Mauritius with its responsibilities to the original biodiversity of the island. Will this development be responsible for more extinctions?

Mauritius will be hosting the Barbados +10 International Conference in January 2005. This conference addresses the challenges of sustainable development faced by small island states, including the threats to biodiversity. Should Mauritius rise to Kofi Annan?s challenge, and show that we can move from exploitation to responsible development? Development that is sustainable not only for the economy but also for the original species of this island whose right to exist and persist in the wild is sometimes forgotten in the rush for gold.

The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation 1st December 2004