| THE IMPORTANCE OF ILE AUX AIGRETTES
 ‘Ile
aux Aigrettes’ is a 25 hectares islet 900m off the south
east coast of Mauritius near to Mahebourg. The island consists
of an old calcarenite coral reef partially overlain by sand
and soil deposits. It is an internationally important conservation
site and was declared a Nature Reserve in 1965. Many of the
plants found there grow nowhere else in the world and they
form the last remnant of a coastal forest that once surrounded
much of Mauritius.
On the island there are 18 Mauritian plant species, which
are classified, as endangered or very rare. Examples include:
“Bois de Fer” (sideroxylon boutonianum), the Ile
aux Aigrettes Ebony (Diospyros egrettarum), the Ile aux Aigrettes
Orchid (Oeoniella aphrodite), “Bois de Boeuf”
(Gastonia mauritiana) and “Bois de Chandelle”
(Dracaena concinna).
Ile aux Aigrettes takes its name from a colony of Egrets,
which inhabited the island. Egrets are graceful white fishing
birds with long legs. They are common in the Tropics and were
once found on Mauritius. Unfortunately they disappeared during
the 1600’s.
During the Second World War (1939 - 1945) Ile aux Aigrettes
was used as a British military base and at this time much
of the native forest was cleared. There are the remains of
over twenty buildings on the island which date from this wartime
period, there is also a restored canon. Later Ile aux Aigrettes
was privately leased and was used for the grazing of goats.
“Acacia” (Leucaena leucocephala), was planted
as goat fodder. This species, which has been introduced to
Mauritius by man, is very competitive and it quickly spread
to cover large areas of the island.
In 1985 the Mauritian Wildlife Appeal Fund (MWAF) established
a habitat rehabilitation and management project on Ile aux
Aigrettes to restore the vegetation and fauna of the island
to its original state. The aims of the project are:
 •
to eliminate introduced plants such as “Acacia”
and “Prune malgache” that are out-competing native
species.
• to propagate and replant native Mauritian trees,
• To eradicate shrews (“Le Rat Musquet”)
which eat the eggs and young of the endemic reptiles, to reintroduce
endemic Mauritian bird and reptile species to the island,
• to create a showpiece of native Mauritian coastal
habitat which can be developed as a resource for education
and for public involvement in nature conservation.
Much progress has been made towards achieving these : goals.
With help from Sugar Estate workers and volunteers two thirds
of Ile aux Aigrettes has now been cleared of invasive weeds.
A rare plants nursery has been established on the island to
propagate native seedlings and young trees are being planted-out
to revegetate cleared areas. Two local Mauritian watchmen
have been employed to control unauthorised public access,
and illegal wood-cutting on the island has ceased.
 Due
to an intensive control programme rats have now been eradicated
from Ile aux Aigrettes. As a result native tree seeds have
begun to germinate and there are a high number of young Ebony
and “Bois de Rat” trees on the island. MWAF is
currently planning a shrew (“Le Rat Musquet”)
elimination project. Shrews were introduced to Mauritius from
Asia about 300 years ago. They cause a problem on Ile aux
Aigrettes as they eat the eggs and young of the endemic lizards
(“Lézard vert”). With the elimination of
shrews MWAF hopes to reintroduce reptiles from Round Island
on to Ile aux Aigrettes (e.g the Telfair’s Shink, the
Guenther’s Gecko, the Keel-scaled Boa Snake).
Since 1989, 20 Mauritius Kestrel have been released on Ile
aux Aigrettes. Some have dispersed to mainland Mauritius,
but several still remain on the island. One bird has established
a permanent territory and is fed everyday by the warden ;
nest boxes have been put up to encourage breeding.
In the future MWAF plans to release Pink Pigeons and Mauritius
Fodies onto the island, and also scarbirds like the Red-tailed
Tropic Bird (“Paille-en-Queue”) and the Common
Noddy.
 MWAF
has a house and a full-time Warden on Ile aux Aigrettes. The
Warden supervises labourers and volunteers in weeding and
vegetation management work, and encourages school groups,
local people, and overseas visitors to become actively involved.
He is responsible for maintenance of the rare plants nursery
and development of the island’s facilities and infrastructure.
The Ile aux Aigrettes Project is operated as an energy effecient
venture and the house is fitted with solar panels and wind
mill to generate electricity. In the future MWAF hopes to
pipe fresh water from the mainland to Ile aux Aigrettes to
supply the rare plants nursery and to irrigate parts of island
during the dry season.
The Ile aux Aigrettes Project is one of MWAF’s most
dynamic and ambitious ventures and an excellent example of
how individuals, organisations, companies and the Government
of Mauritius can work together. As there are no rats, monkeys,
deer or pigs on the island restoration of the ecosystem to
its original state, as it would have looked over 350 years
ago, in an achievable goal. MWAF hopes to establish a series
of nature trails on the island and to develop one of the ruined
buildings as a visitor information centre.
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