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Forestry Department Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Forest Genetic Resources Working Papers State of Forest and Tree Genetic Resources in Mauritius SADC regional workshop on the conservation, management, sustainable utilization and enhancement of forest genetic resources Arusha, Tanzania, 5-9 June 2002 By Kevin Ruhomaun September 2003 Forest Resources Development Service Forest Resources Division Working Paper FGR/58E Forestry Department FAO, Rome, Italy Disclaimer The Forest Genetic Resources Working Papers report on issues and activities in related to the conservation, sustainable use and management of forest genetic resources. The purpose of these papers is to provide early information on on-going activities and programmes, and to stimulate discussion. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Quantitative information regarding the status of forest resources has been compiled according to sources, methodologies and protocols identified and selected by the authors, for assessing the diversity and status of genetic resources. For standardized methodologies and assessments on forest resources, please refer to FAO, 2003. State of the World’s Forests 2003; and to FAO, 2001. Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA2000). FAO Forestry Paper No 140. Official information can also be found at the FAO Internet site (http://www.fao.org/forestry/Forestry.asp). Comments and feedback are welcome. For further information please contact: Pierre Sigaud Forestry Officer (Forest Genetic Resources) Forest Resources Division Forestry Department FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy Fax: + 39 06 570 55 137 Email: [email protected] For quotation: Ruhomaun, K. 2003. State of Forest and Tree Genetic Resources in Mauritius. Prepared for the SADC regional workshop on the conservation, management, sustainable utilization and enhancement of forest genetic resources, 5-9 June 2002, Arusha, Tanzania.Forest Genetic Resources Working Papers, Working Paper FGR/58E. Forest Resources Development Service, Forest Resources Division. FAO, Rome (unpublished). TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................. 1 2. STATUS OF THE FOREST RESOURCES........................................................................ 1 2.1. LOCAL FORESTS ................................................................................................................. 1 2.2. LOCAL TREE USE................................................................................................................ 2 2.3. THE THREATS..................................................................................................................... 2 2.4. LINKS WITH AGRICULTURE ................................................................................................ 2 3. INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK..................................................................................... 3 3.1. THE FORESTRY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 3 3.1.1. The Biodiversity Unit................................................................................................ 3 3.1.2. The Tree Seed Centre................................................................................................ 3 3.1.3. The Greenhouse Unit................................................................................................ 3 3.2. NATIONAL PARKS AND CONSERVATION SERVICE.............................................................. 4 3.3. OTHER INSTITUTIONS......................................................................................................... 4 4. FOREST POLICY AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK............................................................ 4 5. GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES............................................................................................ 5 6. CONSERVATION WORK ................................................................................................... 5 7. POTENTIAL OF LOCAL SPECIES................................................................................... 6 8. RESEARCH............................................................................................................................ 6 9. TRAINING ............................................................................................................................. 7 10. CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................... 7 LITERATURE AND REFERENCES...................................................................................... 8 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ 9 Appendix 1: list of abbreviations and acronyms............................................................ 10 Appendix 2: list of the most vigourous weeds............................................................... 11 Appendix 3: list of indigenous plants with potential as hard wood ............................... 12 Appendix 4: list of indigenous medicinal plants............................................................ 13 State of forest and tree genetic resources in Mauritius 1. INTRODUCTION Mauritius island is found in the Indian Ocean and has an area of about 1 860 km2. It forms, with Reunion and Rodrigues, the Mascarene group of islands. It is situated 890 kilometer east of Madagascar and has a unique flora and fauna characterized by a very high level of endemism. Of the 711 native plants present in Mauritius, 246 are endemic to the island and most of the rest are endemic to the Mascarene. Through three successive waves of colonization by the Dutch, French and English, the destruction of the local forests has been such that by 1935, the original forests had been reduced to about 1 percent (Personal communication, Conservator of Forests). Exploitation for wood by the Dutch, followed by successive land clearing to make way for agriculture and settlements have left us with very little of the original forests. These are mainly found in the highlands and on mountain slopes, areas that are inaccessible or not suitable for agriculture. Eventually, all the coastal forests have been lost with only remnants left on the small islets and even these are severely degraded. Compulsory land acquisition to recreate forest areas was then enforced and today, around 30 percent of the local area is now covered with forests of which, only 2 to 3 percent consist of the original indigenous forest. However, this is badly degraded. 2. STATUS OF THE FOREST RESOURCES 2.1. Local forests The local forest of the island covers an area of around 57 000 hectares (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Resources, 1998). This is concentrated mainly in the centre of the island and consists of the following species: - Pine trees (Pinus elliottii) - Cedar trees (Cryptomeria japonica) - Eucalyptus trees (mainly Eucalyptus robusta, E. kirtoniana) - Filao trees (Casuarina equisetifolia) on the belt around the island Forest lands are both publicly and privately owned. The publicly owned forests, termed state land, consists of: - planted areas (mainly with the above species); - land inside the national parks (severely degraded indigenous forests); - nature and mountain reserves. It also includes, the Pas Geometriques, a narrow belt of land 81,21 meters in width all around the coast which is mainly planted with filao trees (Casuarina equisetifolia). Private forest land consists of: - mountain and river reserves, protected by law; - other forest lands, including scrub and grazing lands mainly used for deer ranching. 1 State of forest and tree genetic resources in Mauritius 2.2. Local tree use Trees are mainly used for timber. Wood is also used in the construction industry as poles for scaffoldings. The use of trees as fuel has diminished over the years especially with the introduction of cheap gas for cooking. Some wood is converted to charcoal. Pine trees are also used as Christmas trees. It must be noted though that the island will not become self-sufficient in timber produce. We import around 70 percent of our timber every year. Our annual timber production is around 3 500 m3. Maximum exploitation is not carried out as the forested areas are situated in key catchment areas for our main reservoirs. The use of the indigenous flora is also quite important. Several species are collected for medicinal plants. Some indigenous species are quite popular in the floricultural industry. 2.3. The threats Monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) are a serious pest. They ringbark the trees in the plantations. They eat seeds of indigenous plants as well as destroy nests of native bird species. Nearly all state forest lands under plantation are leased for deer (Cervus timorensis russa) ranching. The animals cause damage to new plantations. The leasees however spend money on fencing, gamekeepers and opening of paths. This added protection offsets the damage that the deer cause to the plantations. Invasive exotic species growing in the indigenous forest are probably the most