Islands as ‘conservation laboratories’
Biodiversity loss combined with global warming, pollution and urbanisation are among the major environmental challenges facing mankind. The erosion of biodiversity and extinction is arguably the worst form of environmental degradation due to its irreversibility. And islands such as Mauritius, while hosting unique biodiversity with high level of endemism, are particularly vulnerable to such threats.
In the conservation field, one of the areas Mauritius is best known for globally, concerns the threats posed to biodiversity and the resultant extinction with for example the Dodo being a worldwide symbol of human-caused species extinction. However, the country is also internationally known for its resounding conservation success stories or innovative ecological restoration practices.
Mauritius is thus ideally positioned to play a “conservation laboratory” role for the world and through research inform best practices to conserve threatened species and habitats on tropical islands.
Check this TEDx Talk by Vincent Florens explaining how Mauritius is a Laboratory of Hope
Tropical Island Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation 