| The Republic of Mauritius |
| THE SITUATION |
The coastal ecosystems of Mauritius island include rocky shores, lagoon corals, seagrass beds, mangroves and other related marine life. Fringing reefs surround most of the volcanic island enclosing a lagoon of about 243 km2 ranging in depth from 1 to 4m. The range of ecosystems support a wide variety of flora and fauna. The lagoons support a commercial fishery. Fish and shellfish culture is practiced in enclosed ponds (barachois); and other anthropogenic factors have contributed to reef stress and degradation. A rich algal biomass is present which shows seasonal variation. Two species of mangroves, Rhizophora mucronate and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza exist (Fagoonee, 1990) (MAIFS, 2017). There are over six species of seagrass beds including Entromorpha, Ulva, Sargassum, Caulerpa sp.Padina and Halimeda and these cover an estimated area of 55 ha to 649 ha (ASCLME, 2012) Other species marine invertebrates such as crabs, shrimps, lobsters, sea cucumbers, molluscs and octopus however these species have not been extensively studied or researched on. |
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