The Management of the Nature Reserves of Ile aux Cocos and Ile aux Sables, Rodrigues, for Tourism and Wildlife
The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation is dedicated to the conservation of the native wildlife of Mauritius and Rodrigues and their habitats. It has a specialisation in the restoration of small islands and has a long term involvement in the restoration of islands around Mauritius and Rodrigues. MWF recognises that islands are important tourist resources and are important for wildlife and has developed an ecotourism project on Ile aux Aigrettes that integrates tourism with conservation. The objectives of MWF closely mirror those of the GEF/SGP Country Programme Strategy, since we are dedicated to training, developing local capacity and establishing long-term self-sustaining projects.
MWF now wishes to become involved with the conservation and ecotourism management of Ile aux Cocos (15ha) and Ile aux Sables (8ha), two important island nature reserves in the lagoon of Rodrigues. MWF has a long-term involvement with Ile aux Cocos and Ile aux Sable, and now wishes to formalise its involvement with these important islands. Ile aux Cocos and Ile aux Sables have nationally important coastal vegetation communities and nationally important seabird populations that are being degraded by introduced weedy plants and threatened by unsympathetic tourist development. Without careful management the islands will continue to degrade and the seabird populations will be unlikely to flourish. With added protection it is likely that additional populations of seabirds will colonise the islands and they have the potential to become internationally important seabird reserves. Building upon our previous experiences and upon our core competences we intend to implement the following management :-
· Hire a coordinator and an assistant to manage the project on the islands.
· Organise a workshop for all stakeholders to discuss the management of the islands.
· Train the Co-ordinator and the assistant in the basics of guiding for an island such as Ile aux Cocos.
· By increased protection and vegetation management develop Ile aux Sable as a strict nature reserve.
· Help implement zones on the Ile aux Cocos for recreation, habitat restoration and conservation and establish a system of paths.
· Survey the important seabird populations on the islands and monitor other species that visit the islands and may breed there. Monitor the visiting wading bird populations.
· Train the coordinator and assistant and if necessary a local biologist to conduct quarterly surveys of the birds on both islands.
· Facilitate the restoration of the native vegetation by removing weeds and replanting with native plants.
· Help implement current management plans for Ile aux Cocos and Ile aux Sables and if necessary produce additional recommendations.
This work will only be possible with the cooperation, involvement and co-funding from the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, Forestry Department and the Fisheries Department. The plants for restoring the vegetation community on the islands will be grown at the MWF plant nursery in Solitude and in community nurseries. MWF Rodrigues will facilitate the involvement of those running the community nurseries to help in the planting and restoring the vegetation communities on the islands.
The total cost of the project will amount to MUR 3,513,958 ( approx US$ 125,499)
MWF now wishes to become involved with the conservation and ecotourism management of Ile aux Cocos (15ha) and Ile aux Sables (8ha), two important island nature reserves in the lagoon of Rodrigues. MWF has a long-term involvement with Ile aux Cocos and Ile aux Sable, and now wishes to formalise its involvement with these important islands. Ile aux Cocos and Ile aux Sables have nationally important coastal vegetation communities and nationally important seabird populations that are being degraded by introduced weedy plants and threatened by unsympathetic tourist development. Without careful management the islands will continue to degrade and the seabird populations will be unlikely to flourish. With added protection it is likely that additional populations of seabirds will colonise the islands and they have the potential to become internationally important seabird reserves. Building upon our previous experiences and upon our core competences we intend to implement the following management :-
· Hire a coordinator and an assistant to manage the project on the islands.
· Organise a workshop for all stakeholders to discuss the management of the islands.
· Train the Co-ordinator and the assistant in the basics of guiding for an island such as Ile aux Cocos.
· By increased protection and vegetation management develop Ile aux Sable as a strict nature reserve.
· Help implement zones on the Ile aux Cocos for recreation, habitat restoration and conservation and establish a system of paths.
· Survey the important seabird populations on the islands and monitor other species that visit the islands and may breed there. Monitor the visiting wading bird populations.
· Train the coordinator and assistant and if necessary a local biologist to conduct quarterly surveys of the birds on both islands.
· Facilitate the restoration of the native vegetation by removing weeds and replanting with native plants.
· Help implement current management plans for Ile aux Cocos and Ile aux Sables and if necessary produce additional recommendations.
This work will only be possible with the cooperation, involvement and co-funding from the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, Forestry Department and the Fisheries Department. The plants for restoring the vegetation community on the islands will be grown at the MWF plant nursery in Solitude and in community nurseries. MWF Rodrigues will facilitate the involvement of those running the community nurseries to help in the planting and restoring the vegetation communities on the islands.
The total cost of the project will amount to MUR 3,513,958 ( approx US$ 125,499)
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Project Snapshot
Grantee:
Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (Rodrigues Branch)
Country:
Mauritius
Area Of Work:
Biodiversity
Grant Amount:
US$ 50,000.00
Co-Financing Cash:
US$ 62,915.00
Co-Financing in-Kind:
US$ 73,079.00
Project Number:
MAR/05/03
Status:
Satisfactorily Completed
Project Characteristics and Results
Notable Community Participation
The community interacts with the islands of Ile aux Cocos and Ile aux Sables at several different levels. As Rodrigues premier tourist destination it is known to all although most have never visited. It is a major source of income to the tour operators and it is a source of great interest to Rodriguans who have an increasing pride in their wildlife. The youth in particular show an enthusiasm for their natural history and being involved with conservation, and the islands are an undeveloped educational and training resource. On the negative side the waters around the islands are heavily fished and have been depleted of fish, octopuses and shellfish and Ile aux Sable, even though it is a nature reserve with restricted access, is often used by fishermen who camp on the island causing disturbance and leaving litter.
MWF intends to increase the profile of the islands and to encourage great pride and to ensure that visitors to the islands do not impact negatively upon the natural resources.
The most direct way in which MWF will interact with the community is through the stakeholders. Through the stakeholder meeting MWF will engender their greater involvement in the islands. MWF feels it is important that the people who now make a living from taking tours to Ile aux Cocos are involved in the long term management planning, but also need to be more intimately involved in looking after the island. Tour operators need to be given responsibility to ensure that they clear up after visits and maintain good standards of tidiness and hygiene. The tour operators need to be involved in developing the recreational/tourist zones on the island, and in maintaining these.
It is important that MWF encourages greater numbers of Rodriguans to visit Ile aux Cocos and MWF will investigate ways of facilitating this. A major need is to develop Ile aux Cocos as an educational resource and encourage visits by school groups. MWF will do this with its community conservation educator Ms Raboude. In the plant restoration work on Rodrigues MWF has successfully used volunteers and youth groups. This model works well and several ex-volunteers now work in conservation, eco-tourism or on environmental projects. MWF wishes to extend this model to the islands and encourage the increasing involvement of young people in the care of their environment.
With the increasing profile among the public of Ile aux Cocos and Ile aux Sables the number of legal contraventions on the islands has declined. Formerly poaching of birds for food was relatively common, this has declined and we hope that the current abuses that we have seen on Ile aux Sable disappear as the importance of these islands is realised by the population.
For the replanting of the island MWF will contract the growing of as many plants as possible to community nurseries and will encourage these stakeholders to be involved in the planting exercise.
Policy Impact
The project aims to involve tourist operators of Rodrigues together with MWF and Rodrigues Regional Assembly in planning the long-term management of the island.
It aims to implement current management plans and if necessary produce additional recommendations.
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Partnership |
| Rodrigues Regional Assembly, Tour Operators, Rodrigues Village Nurseries, Seychelles NGO, Rodriguan Volunteers, Grantee |
SGP Country office contact
Mrs. Pamela Bapoo-Dundoo
Phone:
(230) 213 53 84
Fax:
(230) 212 14 11
Email:
Address
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Port Louis, Mauritius
Port Louis, Mauritius
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