Everything Under The Sun: Trail Shows Off Preservation Efforts of Wildlife Foundation

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Trail Shows Off Preservation Efforts of Wildlife Foundation

A selection of foods set up for seabird chicks.

When an organization preserves wildlife and environment in a refuge area, you can be sure that there is a variety of species to observe, some rare. The MAURITANIAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION is the only NGO in Mauritius that is concerned with both the conservation and preservation of this island nation's endangered plants and animals. The group has carried out hands-on conservation projects in the offshore islets and in Rodrigues.

In fact, Rodrigues features a trail, called Sentier Pasner (Peace Trail), also named after a very rare plant, Bois Pasner, which is critically endangered, takes hikers through areas on the southwest coast of Rodrigues that feature unique fauna and flora, along with spectacular views. The trail runs 8 km (almost 5 miles) from a basalt crest at the center of the island, across valleys that overlook the lagoon, down to the calcarenite plateau near the edge of the sea. On the trail, the hiker can note caves carved into the accumulation of limestone deposits, in which are bones of the extinct SOLITAIRE, a type of bird, and the tortoise.

The trail also passes along the boundary of the Anse Quitor Nature Reserve, where two types of rare endemic plants, the Bois Blanc and the Ebony, have been reintroduced; and the Francois Leguat Giant Tortoise and Cave Reserve, where the largest cave, La Grande Caverne, is located and the Adebra tortoise has been introduced.

Some of the other features to be seen on the trail include: the beautiful landscape with wonderful views of the southern lagoon, Grande Passe, and the marine park islets; the whitetail Tropicbird and the Rodrigues Fruit Bat; the Caverne Patate cave system, formed by water dripping through calcarenite deposits; local people partaking of daily life; a coral quarry, where bricks were cut for house construction; the Anse Quitor Nature Reserve, where the endemic forest is being reconstructed; the Francois Leguat Giant Tortoise Cave Reserve and museum; and the Plaine Corail, where the local turboprop aircraft lands.

The trail can be divided into two different stages of about 4 km (2.5 miles) each, with eleven viewpoints and two restpoints. The entire 8 km trail takes about five hours to complete. The Foundation suggests to add an additional hour if hikers want to visit the Caverne Patate (open at 11 AM and 1 PM).

Issabelle Desire out in the field.

Local people, who live in the nearby villages and hamlets, have been trained by the Foundation staff, as guides. They are eager to point out and explain the features, along with unique flora and fauna, while also talking about the Rodrigues area. Each guide can handle up to ten hikers, but if there are more in a particular group, other guides can be added. It costs Rs200 for adults and Rs100 for children between 4 and 11 years old.