indian ocean

Durrell’s Indian Ocean Programme includes the island groups of the Mascarenes, Comoros, and Seychelles. Both the Mascarenes (principally Réunion, Mauritius and Rodrigues islands) and the Seychelles are found on the Mascarene tectonic plate, which extends from the Seychelles in the north to Reunion Island 2000 km to the south. Separately the Comoros are a volcanic island archipelago located in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania.

Each of these island groups has been isolated for long periods of time, which has led to a unique biodiversity. The Mascarene Islands form a distinct ecoregion dominated by forests and once had a rich diversity of forest types. Also as they have never been connected to a mainland, all the species that are found there have either flown there or come via the sea.

As a result the only native mammals on the islands are bats, including the critically endangered Rodrigues fruitbat. This lack of predators also led many bird species to evolve flightless forms, the most famous being the dodo. Mauritius is home to 16 endemic bird species including the Mauritius kestrel, the pink pigeon, the echo parakeet, Mauritius fody and olive white-eye. There are also 13 species of endemic reptile including two species of giant tortoise.

The Comoros have a rich biodiversity which is also some of the least studied. Some 33% of the flora is endemic, with 43 species of orchid. Also 25% of the birds are endemic including the Anjouan Scops Owl which is critically endangered and the Grand Comoro flycatcher. Important mammal species include the Livingstone’s fruit bat and the Comoros Island fruit bat. The Comoros are also home to two species of lemur, which are otherwise only found on Madagascar.

The combination of hunting, species introductions, deforestation and farming has dramatically changed the habitats of all the island groups and pushed many endemic species to extinction. As the endemic species are largely restricted to forested areas, the loss of habitat has been a major factor in their decline. Mauritius for example has approximately 5% of its forest remaining and species such as the Mauritius kestrel, the pink pigeon and the echo parakeet became critically endangered. Over-exploitation and removal of forest currently continues unabated in the Comoros, which is a major concern for the vulnerable and largely known biodiversity there. At the same time introduced species, primarily rats, cats, pigs, deer, crab-eating macaques and mongooses, have impacted severely on native species.

Durrell has been involved in Mauritius since 1976 and has been instrumental in developing many areas of species conservation, habitat restoration and small island management. To assist Durrell achieve its aims in Mauritius it helped to establish, and provides support to, the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF). Durrell’s activities have brought the pink pigeon, echo parakeet, Mauritius kestrel and Rodrigues fruitbat back from the brink of extinction. These species provide some of the world’s strongest conservation success stories. Durrell is actively restoring island ecosystems by removing invasive species, restoring vegetation and introducing native fauna. We are also undertaking long term research into the ecology of these species to better conserve them in the future.