{"id":21975,"date":"2022-11-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-09T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=21975"},"modified":"2022-11-21T10:23:45","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T09:23:45","slug":"turning-the-tide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/2022\/11\/10\/turning-the-tide\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning the tide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Sea level rises and loss of endemic species are among the concerns of tourist resorts <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Turning the tide<\/h2>\n\n

MAURITIUS<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Sustainable tourism holds the key to reversing the ecological clock on Mauritius, an Indian Ocean paradise whose biodiversity is clinging on by the finest of threads <\/p>\n\n

By <\/em>PAUL MCGUINNESS <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

T<\/span>HERE\u2019S SOMETHING OF A PERVERSE PRIDE IN THE dodo on Mauritius. As you arrive, the stamp on your passport bears its distinct outline. The island\u2019s gift shops are stacked with cuddly dodo toys to take home as souvenirs. <\/p>\n\n

Thanks to the dodo, there\u2019s probably no other country on earth so strongly associated with extinction as Mauritius. This tropical island paradise, formed around 10 million years ago by 23 volcanoes along a fault line between India and Madagascar, was uninhabited by humans until the 16th century. And then, in 1598, the Dutch claimed it. <\/p>\n\n

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Pink pigeon numbers have risen to over 500 in zoos and the wild <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

This sealed the dodo\u2019s fate. A large, flightless bird endemic to the island, the dodo was superbly adapted to an environment where food was plentiful and predators absent. But sailors and the invasive species they introduced hunted it, raided its nests and destroyed its habitat. By 1662, it was no more. <\/p>\n\n

It wasn\u2019t just the dodo that suffered as a result of human colonisation though. Following the settlement by the Dutch, then the French and, in 1810, the British, much of the island\u2019s diversity was gone. Vast forests of ebony trees were destroyed, replaced by sugar cane, which would eventually all but cover the island, destroying untold numbers of plant and animal species.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cMauritius has been colonised by countless invasive species, from giant bamboo to giant African snails\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

\"\"
The Black River Gorges-Bel Ombre Biosphere Reserve <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

And the intervening centuries have seen Mauritius colonised not just by humans, but by countless invasive species, from the giant bamboo that spreads through the forests to the giant African snails whose shells litter the gutter of every road on the island. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWhat we did have was a high rate of endemic species,\u201d Vikash Tatayah, conservation director at the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, tells me. \u201cUnfortunately, like a lot of small islands around the world, the native vegetation has been sacrificed. There\u2019s been poaching and hunting and invasive species \u2013 the rats, the cats, the mongooses, the monkeys, as well as invasive plants that are taking their toll. So Mauritius remains a place with a very highly threatened biodiversity.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

In addition to the dodo, Mauritius has lost giant tortoises, giant skinks, blue parrots, red rails and countless other species. With yet more species down to critical numbers, urgent work is underway to reverse the island\u2019s fortunes. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Captive breeding helped boost numbers of the Mauritius kestrel <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

THE BLACK RIVER GORGES-BEL Ombre Biosphere Reserve in the south-west has boasted UNESCO Man and Biosphere status since 1977 for \u201cthe conservation of the last remnants of the island\u2019s endemic vegetation, the tropical evergreen forest\u201d. <\/p>\n\n

The reserve, which covers over 8,500ha in total, includes 100-150ha currently being reforested with some 100 endemic species, including ebony, palm and vetiver.<\/p>\n\n

As we walk through the reserve, I\u2019m mesmerised by the island\u2019s only endemic mammal, the Mauritian flying fox, rustling through the canopy. White and red-tailed tropicbirds soar through the valley. From this vantage point, views down to the lagoon and out into the Indian Ocean provide an exotic backdrop to the remaining tropical jungle. My guide Nitish Dassagne points out where they have been removing invasive species such as the giant traveller\u2019s palm. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Bel Ombre resort with natural and artificial coral reefs near the shoreline <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Nitish proudly tells me of some of the successful conservation projects here. \u201cIn 1974, we had only four Mauritian kestrels left on the island. This was because we had malaria in Mauritius, so authorities were using the insecticide DDT to kill all mosquitos.\u201d The kestrels were feeding on geckos that had been eating the poisoned mosquitos. \u201cBut now with the conservation, we have more than 350 kestrel birds on the island,\u201d Nitish concludes. <\/p>\n\n

The fates of other species, including the pink pigeon and the echo parakeet, have been similarly turned around. <\/p>\n\n

Today, large areas of the island remain covered by sugar cane, but it no longer controls the economy. Tourism is one of the country\u2019s biggest sectors and it\u2019s not hard to see why. <\/p>\n\n

This tropical paradise is almost completely surrounded by coral reefs, enclosing a lagoon that gently laps against over 150km of golden sand. The pace is slow and the fusion of Indian, French and British cultures delivers a winning combination of familiarity and exoticism. <\/p>\n\n

But, as Vikash says, Mauritius is a very long way from anywhere. \u201cYou are going to a place where you are already contributing to global climate change.\u201d But if you take away tourism, you take away funding for conservation. It\u2019s this challenge that has seen Mauritius increasingly look to innovate in the fields of ecotourism and sustainability. <\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s becoming urgent. Richard Stedman is chief transformation officer at the Rogers Hospitality Group in the Bel Ombre region. \u201cTwenty five percent of our economy is tourism and the hotels sit 50cm above sea level,\u201d he tells me. \u201cIf the levels rise and you start having high tides \u2013 they\u2019re gone.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\u201cMauritius is increasingly looking to innovate in the fields of ecotourism and sustainability\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Richard is not alone in thinking that sustainability is the key to the island\u2019s future. Vikash agrees: \u201cThe hotel which will get more business will be the hotel that can actually demonstrate that it is sustainable. Not just talk about it, not just pretend about it, not just greenwash about it, but can actually demonstrate they\u2019re doing it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The Mauritian flying fox feeds on fruit and helps spread seeds through the forest <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

AS RECENTLY AS 2017, the UNESCO status of Mauritius risked being removed, threatening serious reputational damage to the government. The status was preserved thanks in part to intervention from a tourism sector that recognised its value. Vikash acknowledges this: \u201cWhat I think is very interesting is how the Bel Ombre group latched on to the concept of Man and Biosphere, saying, \u2018Our land is actually part of this Man and Biosphere,\u2019 and they almost championed it within the group. They could have just said, you know, \u2018Let the government get on with it and let them save it\u2019, but they actually waded in to try to prevent it being lost.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Richard tells me that change in Mauritius isn\u2019t only led by the government. \u201cPrivate sector will always want things quicker; the government has its pace. But at least it\u2019s moved in the right direction.\u201d As we watch the flying foxes take to the orange dusk skies, he reflects: \u201cIsland speed is island speed, you can\u2019t fight it. And that\u2019s why half of us enjoy living here \u2013 island speed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

But Richard\u2019s frustration is evident, because there\u2019s so much to be done \u2013 and the reef is in as much trouble as the land. Rising sea temperatures and pollution are contributing factors to reef damage, but water sports around the island are also a big issue. Here in Bel Ombre, they\u2019ve stopped water skiing. While as little as 20 per cent of the island\u2019s reefs are healthy, those in Bel Ombre are at 50 per cent, and work is underway to push that figure higher. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
White-tailed tropicbirds will take fish from the ocean <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Alexandre Piat is sustainability development manager at Heritage Resorts<\/span> in Bel Ombre. \u201cWe stopped our ski activities and we wanted to work with different NGOs,\u201d he tells me. Artificial reefs were created in the lagoon, which are monitored regularly. \u201cIt\u2019s not only for our piece of beach, just in front of our hotels, but for the whole lagoon,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n

The next stage, Alexandre says, is coral farming, but again, progress is at island pace: \u201cEverything takes time here in Mauritius. We are still waiting for the authorisation so we can grow corals inland. We\u2019ll take the resilient corals, try to multiply them inland and then put them back [in the reef ].\u201d Another project, in conjunction with Odysseo, a marine centre in Port Louis, capital of Mauritius, hopes to return seahorses to the reef. <\/p>\n\n

FURTHER INLAND, REFORESTATION is already well under way thanks to more public-private initiatives. The national parks have mother stocks of the finest of the remaining endemic plants, so the government provides the plants, but it can be down to other organisations to get them planted. Partly out of necessity, but also to give Mauritian people ownership, Richard tells me they organise green days, where locals and tourists alike can come and get involved, helping with the endless removal of exotics and the planting of endemics. It\u2019s great to offer tourists the chance to give back to a country when they visit, but as yet, it\u2019s not something that every tourist considers. <\/p>\n\n

So how important is it to engage tourists with nature? \u201cLet\u2019s face it, most tourists that come to Mauritius are coming for the sea, the sun and the sand,\u201d Vikash says. Its unique natural history does bring birders and people who love rare plants, but they are still a minority. Nature needs to become a central part of the Mauritius experience. <\/p>\n\n

Richard agrees that Mauritius doesn\u2019t see itself purely as a wildlife destination: \u201cWe see ourselves as all aspects of Mauritius. It\u2019s nature, whether that nature be the sea, the lagoon, the forest, the hills. I don\u2019t think we want to be so niche as to say, \u2018Just come and see the pink pigeon\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cBut, you know, there\u2019s all the different coral gardens that you come and see, so there\u2019s a range of Indian Ocean wildlife.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Among endemic ebony trees on Ile aux Aigrettes <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

SO IF MAURITIUS ISN\u2019T LOOKING to become a wildlife tourism hotspot, how does tourism benefit the island\u2019s biodiversity? The answer may well lie in the sustainability drive, and Bel Ombre is pioneering an interesting twist. <\/p>\n\n

Heritage Resorts already ensures that its stays in Bel Ombre are carbon neutral, with no single-use plastics, and locally sourced produce. It has a target of 80 per cent renewable energy by 2025. <\/p>\n\n

Alexandre agrees with Vikash that it\u2019s important to be able to clearly demonstrate actions, not just words \u2013 data is key. Alexandre claims to know the impact of each visitor. It\u2019s relatively straightforward to calculate the average energy consumption or water consumption of each guest, but the difficult part is what he calls the indirect emissions. This involves working with their Indian Ocean suppliers to understand the detail, right down to the footprint of every piece of fruit on the breakfast buffet. \u201cIt\u2019s complicated. It\u2019s a big Excel sheet!\u201d Alexandre says with a laugh.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The resort currently buys \u2018carbon credits\u2019, which it spends on a photovoltaic farm in the north of the island \u2013 away of offsetting clients\u2019 emissions. And it\u2019s now in the process of getting its own reforestation project, on it\u2019s own land, accredited for carbon credits. In this way, tourism at Bel Ombre will directly drive the reforestation of the island\u2019s endemic forests, so visitors to this former paradise can help turn back the clock on the damage done by those who have previously come here over the last 400 years or so.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Mauritius may not be alone in such projects, but it\u2019s hard to think of another country where the devastation of species and habitats has been so widespread. <\/p>\n\n

If it\u2019s possible for tourism to contribute to such wholescale reversal of nature\u2019s fortunes, then the future really does look bright. But it only works when government, NGOs and private enterprise work together. As Richard so neatly phrases it, \u201cIn the end, all the hands need to clap.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

Dead as a dodo<\/h3>\n\n

Could modern technology bring the dodo back from extinction? <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Dodos: member of the pigeon family but bigger than a turkey <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, BETH SHAPIRO from the Genomics Institute at the University of California, Santa Cruz, announced the sequencing of the dodo\u2019s genome. It was from a DNA sample taken from a specimen held at Copenhagen\u2019s Natural History Museum. So is this icon of extinction poised to return from the dead? <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThere are a tonne of existing technical challenges that would need to be solved in order to bring a dodo back to life,\u201d she tells BBC <\/em>Wildlife. <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cFirst, one needs to be able to figure out what genetic differences in the dodo genome make the dodo look and act like a dodo. One would also need to figure out how to make those genetic changes, which are surely more than a few, in the types of cells that are destined to become a living animal. In birds, this would mean using gene-editing tools on what are known as \u2018primordial germ cells\u2019, which are the cells that will eventually become sperm or eggs. After that, one would have to solve all of the normal problems associated with captive breeding and husbandry of a species that no longer exists.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

And even if it were possible to recreate the dodo, it wouldn\u2019t solve the problems that caused the bird to go extinct in the first place, as Beth explains: \u201cWe believe that dodos became extinct because introduced species including rats, cats and pigs consumed their eggs. Because dodos didn\u2019t fly, they nested on the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cDe-extinction is not a solution to the extinction crisis of the present day\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

\u201cThis made their nests easy access for potential predators and consumers of eggs. It would not make sense to bring dodos back to Mauritius unless this challenge could be solved.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s a hot topic (see Mark Carwardine\u2019s column), with strong views on all sides. \u201cDe-extinction is not a solution to the extinction crisis of the present day,\u201d Beth says. <\/p>\n\n

Rather, such technologies offer the potential to edit the genomes of current threatened species in order to help them adapt to changes in habitat and climate.\u201cThe same technologies that might eventually be used to re-create something that approximates an extinct species will be useful to help preserve species that are still alive \u2013 to protect those species from going the way of the dodo.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n
WHERE TO STAY <\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A safari in Bel Ombre Nature Reserve <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Luxury beachfront spa hotel <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Heritage Le Telfair Resort, a carbon-neutral five-star luxury hotel in Bel Ombre, has rates starting from \u20ac307 per night in a garden view suite on a B&B basis. Visit heritageresorts.mu<\/a>, or read about Bel Ombre at belombre.com<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warm welcome <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Kaz\u2019alala is a B&B in Bel Ombre with rates starting from \u20ac163 per night in a Standard Room. For more information visit kazalala.com<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Down-to-earth cocoon <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Veranda Tamarin, a 3.5-star hotel in Tamarin Bay, has rates starting from \u20ac151 per night in a Comfort Room. For more information visit veranda-resorts.com<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
ABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Paul McGuinness is the editor of BBC Wildlife, <\/em>with over 25 years of experience in magazine publishing. He visited Bel Ombre in Mauritius courtesy of Heritage Resorts and Air Mauritius.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

PHOTOS: ROBERTO MOIOLA\/SYSAWORLD\/GETTY, PIGEON: JACQUES DE SPEVILLE; LANDSCAPE: IAN BOSWELL\/ALAMY, TROPICBIRD: FABRICE BETTEX\/ALAMY; EBONY TREES: BERTRAND RIEGER\/ALAMY; DODOS: DANIEL ESKRIDGE\/ALAMY; KESTREL: JACQUES DE SP\u00c9VILLE; FLYING FOX: MICHAEL SANNWALD\/ALAMY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sustainable tourism holds the key to reversing the ecological clock on Mauritius, an Indian Ocean paradise whose biodiversity is clinging on by the finest of threads 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