Ministry of Environment and National Development Unit MAURITIUS Staking out the future 2005 CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES 6 LIST OF TABLES 6 LIST OF BOXES 7 FOREWORD 12 PREFACE 1144 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS 16 MAURITIUS AT A GLANCE 21 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 26 INTRODUCTION 37 CHAPTER 1 CLIMATE CHANGE AND SEA-LEVE RISE 43 CHAPTER 2 NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS 53 CHAPTER 3 LAND RESOURCES 63 CHAPTER 4 BIODIVERSITY RESOURCES 75 Ministry of Environment CHAPTER 5 Ken Lee Tower Corner of Line Barracks & St Georges Streets COASTAL AND MARINE RESOURCES 87 Port Louis Republic of Mauritius CHAPTER 6 Telephone: (230) 212 8327 Fax: +(230) 212 9407 TOURISM RESOURCES 107 Email: [email protected] Website: http://environment.gov.mu CHAPTER 7 © Copyright 2005 by Government of Mauritius FRESHWATER MANAGEMENT 117 3 MAURITIUS - STAKING OUT THE FUTURE CHAPTER 8 ENERGY RESOURCES 131 CHAPTER 9 MANAGEMENT OF WASTES 143 CHAPTER 10 HEALTH 159 CHAPTER 11 TRADE AND INVESTMENT 171 CHAPTER 12. TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS 183 CHAPTER 13 INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION 195 CHAPTER14 EDUCATION 203 Partnership for CHAPTER 15 Sustainable Development TRAINING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 211 CHAPTER 16 REFORM OF THE STATE 219 CHAPTER 17 RODRIGUES AND THE OUTER ISLANDS 229 CHAPTER 18 GETTING OVER THE STAKES 236 INDEX OF KEY DOCUMENTS 245 4 List of Figures List of Boxes Figure 1.1 Mauritius and comparative CO2 emission Box 1.1 Policy and planning under the UNFCCC Figure 1.2 Total emissions of greenhouse gases, 1995-2003 Box 1.2 Detailed action under the UNFCCC Figure 1.3 Sectoral carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel, 1995-2003 Box 1.3 A worse case scenario; a sea-level rise of 1 meter in Flic-en-Flac Figure 3.1 Land use in Mauritius Box 1.4 Changes in energy consumption to reduce GHGs Figure 5.1 Tourist arrivals and receipt 1994-2003 Box 2.1 Public early warnings of cyclones Figure 6.1 Tourist arrivals and receipts 1990, Mauritius and other African SIDS Box 2.2 Potential sources of oil spills in Mauritius Figure 7.1 Water Balance, 1998-2003 Box 3.1 Land development permits Figure 7.2 Water stress Box 4.1 Flora conservation Figure 8.1 Trend of local energy sources and imported Petroleum products (1994-2003) Box 4.2 Management of biodiversity initiatives Figure 8.2 Relative use of energy by various sectors of the economy (1994-2003) and Box 4.3 Biotechnology Energy consumption in various sectors of the economy in 2003 Box 4.4 Legal framework for biodiversity Figure 8.3 Number of registered vehicles (1991-2003) Box 4.5 Intervention and Regional Conventions and agreement Figure 8.4 Number of vehicles and CO2 emissions (1990-1998) Box 5.1 Integrated Coastal Management, an evidence based approach,The Principal Figure 9.1 Waste conveyed to Mare Chicose Sanitary Landfill (1999-2003) elements of coastal zone management in Mauritius Figure 9.2 Forecast for the generation of municipal solid waste Box 5.2 Action on water quality in coastal waters Figure 10.1 Safe water and child health Box 5.3 Objectives of the Mauritius Oceanographic Institute Figure 10.2 Mauritius: Infant mortality Box 5.4 Projects initiated by Mauritius Oceanographic Institute Figure 10.3 Mauritius: No. of Maternal death Box 5.5 Action to improve management of marine resources, progress made Figure 10.4 Number of HIV cases and death reported, 1987-2003 Box 5.6 Action to conserve the islets Figure 11.1 Mauritius EPZ businesses, 1993-2003 Box 5.7 Action to create a Conservation Zone at Virginia Figure 11.2 Growth rate (%) for employment in the EPZ sector, 1993-2003 Box 5.8 Functions of the ICZM Division Figure 12.1 Mauritius: Growth in Registered vehicles 1993-2003 Box 5.9 Objectives of ICZM Committee Figure 12.2 Mauritius:The vehicle Fleet 2003 Box 6.1 Resilience in tourism facts under pressure from global threats (2003/4) Figure 12.3 Mauritius: Road Accident 1993-2003 Box 6.2 Tourism vision for 2020 Figure 13.1 Mauritius: in the regional and global context Box 6.3 Tourism development Plan Figure 14.1 Mauritius: Education-Literacy and Enrolment Box 6.4 Sustainable development for a tourist resort Figure 18.1 SIDS and the GDP per capita at Purchasing Power Parity Box 6.5 Trou D’eau Douce Community Action Plan, enhancing natural resources for tourism List of Tables Box 6.6 Tourism Environment Charter Box 6.7 Chamarel Integrated Development Project Box 7.1 Water resources Table 4.1 The medicinal value of plant resources in Mauritius Box 7.2 Progress in water management Table 5.1 Information on the coastal zone of Mauritius Box 7.3 Sources of contamination of water resources Table 7.1 Water Utilization Box 8.1 Progress with renewable energy resources Table 7.2 Distribution of drinking water Box 8.2 Bagasse Energy Development Plan Table 7.3 Harness water resources in a sustainable manner Box 9.1 Studies on waste management carried out from 1989-2003 Table 18.1 Enhancing resilience Box 9.2 National Solid Waste Management Strategy 7 6 Table 18.2 Greening Mauritius MAURITIUS - STAKING OUT THE FUTURE Box 9.3 Institutional and legal framework Map 1 : Map of Mauritius Box 9.4 Waste management system Box 9.5 Waste recycling and treatment Box 9.6 Hazardous waste management Box 9.7 National sanitary landfill, Mare Chicose Box 10.1 Clinical services delivery Box 10.2 Health sector targets Box 10.3 Partnership to contain HIV/AIDS Box 10.4 Legislation Box 10.5 High Technology Services Box 11.1 Challenges in the textile and clothing sector Box 12.1 The Integrated Transport Sector Strategy Box 12.2 Light Rail Transit Box 13.1 ICT Law and Institutional Reform Box 14.1 Key facilities in progress of education Box 14.2 Reform of the scope and content of education Box 14.3 Further developments for education Box 15.1 Training and skills development responding to the market Box 16.1 Cutting the size of the state Box 16.2 Reform within the stat Box 17.1 Rodrigues and the outer islands Box 18.1 Achieving greater transparency in public life, the reality Box 18.2 MDG Goals and Targets already achieved in Mauritius Box 18.3 Targets achievable by 2015 in Mauritius Box 18.4 Mauritius moving towards target Box 18.5 Mauritius moving away from target 9 8 MAURITIUS - STAKING OUT THE FUTURE Map 2 : Indian Ocean Area Tv~ÇÉãÄxwzxÅxÇàá The Ministry of Environment and National Development Unit (NDU) would like to express its appreciation to all Ministries and Organisations which have contributed to the preparation of this report 11 10 MAURITIUS - STAKING OUT THE FUTURE YÉÜxãÉÜw he Government of Mauritius is pleased to enable Mauritius to meet the challenges increased pauperisation. Tto publish this report on the occasion ahead. The situation in Rodrigues and the of the International Meeting on the Outer Islands have also been addressed in The International Meeting on Sustainable comprehensive review of the BARBADOS this report. Development of Small Island Developing PROGRAMME OF ACTION for the States to be held in Mauritius provides a sustainable development of Small Island The document highlights in particular the timely opportunity for the international Developing States (SIDS) to be held in sustained efforts made by Mauritius to build community to rededicate themselves to the Mauritius in January 2005. resilience to adapt to unfavourable national, cause of the sustainable development of regional and international conjectures as well these States and to establish a new agenda This report maps out the road travelled by as to the effects of climatic changes including with full support for the effective Mauritius in the quest for sustainable cyclones, seasonal droughts and coastal implementation of its outcome. development and highlights the efforts made, erosion. These challenges have called for The Honourable Paul Raymond Bérenger, GCSK, the resources deployed and the constraints innovative approaches and this report gives Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius met. It gives an excellent overview of the us an indication of the strategies and actions various initiatives taken and being taken to enhance our resilience in the face of implemented, including by the private sector, these natural calamities. within the ambit of a holistic approach to meet the goals of Sustainable Development. Overall, it is to be noted that 2004 has not Hon. Paul Raymond Bérenger, been favourable to Small Islands Developing Prime Minister The report addresses all the major issues States, many of whom have been struck by of the Republic of Mauritius contained in the Barbados Programme of cyclones of extreme violence. The Small Action as well as new and emerging issues Island Developing States of the African, which are very pertinent to Mauritius. On Pacific and Caribbean group have also been account of the changing international traumatized by the proposed 37% reduction economic order and the rapid permutations in the price of sugar under the ACP/EU Sugar affecting global trade and commerce, major Protocol. There is no doubt that this reforms in a number of critical sectors proposed reduction will adversely affect including education and training, agriculture their economies and result in job losses and 12 13 and the financial sector are being undertaken MAURITIUS - STAKING OUT THE FUTURE cÜxytvx he International Meeting on the holistic manner economic, social and already pointed out in the BPoA itself and Tcomprehensive review of the environmental considerations. The main confirmed in the Johannesburg Plan of BARBADOS PROGRAMME OF ACTION theme running through the Report is Implementation. for the sustainable development of Small Resilience. Island Developing States to be held in As so aptly pointed out by the United Mauritius from 10 to 14 January 2005 is There is no doubt that some remarkable Nations Secretary General, “Brighter being organised following a resolution of the progress has been achieved by SIDS during horizons for Small Islands can mean brighter UN General Assembly as a result of a call the last decade in many spheres, but at the horizons for the World”.