Conservation Management Efforts
Marine Protected Areas | Non-Formal Marine Protected Areas –VOLUNTARY MARINE CONSERVATION AREAS | |
In alignment with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, target 14.5, the Republic of Mauritius is committed to conserving and protecting its coastal and marine areas. Mauritius has established a comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), including marine parks, marine reserves, and fishing reserves, to safeguard marine biodiversity around Mauritius and Rodrigues. The country has successfully met Target 14.5, which aims to conserve at least 10% of coastal and marine areas by 2020, guided by international and national laws and the best available scientific information. | The introduction of Voluntary Marine Conservation Areas (VMCAs) is a relatively new development in Mauritius, spearheaded by Reef Conservation, an NGO active in the northern part of the island focused on protecting coastal and marine environments. VMCAs are specific areas within the lagoon where local resource users and coastal communities voluntarily agree to refrain from extractive or destructive activities. | |
Areas to Be Avoided (ATBAs) | Underwater Cultural Heritage | |
Following the grounding of a cape-size bulk carrier off the South East coast of Mauritius, which caused significant structural damage to the vessel and severe pollution to the marine environment, the Department of Continental Shelf, Maritime Zone Administration & Exploration convened the Marine Spatial Planning Committee. This committee was tasked with proposing Areas to Be Avoided (ATBAs) around the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues to mitigate the environmental impact of international shipping. The ATBAs are strategically designed to minimize risks associated with shipping near the coasts of Mauritius and Rodrigues. These measures include maintaining a safe distance between shipping lanes and the shoreline, reducing the likelihood of shipping accidents that could lead to marine pollution, allowing more time for emergency responses to navigation errors, and safeguarding sensitive marine ecosystems. These ATBA guidelines were detailed in the Merchant Shipping Notice Ref: 21 of 2020, which was implemented on December 1, 2020. The notice advises vessels of 150 gross tonnage and above to steer clear of specified areas around the islands to further reduce pollution risks. | Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) is also an important aspect taken into consideration when planning new development activities at sea. In order to effectively address the absence of geospatial information on shipwrecks, the “Mauritius Underwater Cultural Heritage Project” was initiated to develop a framework for sustainable management of UCH sites in the maritime zones of Mauritius. There is a need for the identification, preservation, protection and awareness of UCH in the country’s maritime zones. A technical working group dedicated to UCH was set up to advise and monitor activities under the project. A Geophysical survey was undertaken to study the shipwreck of HMS Sirius, which sunk in the Southeast of Mauritius during the 1810 Grand Port naval battle. A study of the Victoire shipwreck, a French ship involved in slave trading, was conducted to enhance the capacity of local stakeholders in the documentation of UCH. Training on archaeological survey techniques and underwater operations has also been carried out. Within the context of improving the legal framework for UCH, a review of existing legislation and regulatory instruments has been undertaken. | |
Emerging Economic Activities | Mauritius Ocean Observatory E-Platform | |
The Department for Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration & Exploration (CSMZAE) is refining the legal framework to include new economic activities like Marine Renewable Energy, Cable and Pipeline Laying, Seawater Extraction for commercial use, and Seabed Exploration. Due to the spatial constraints within the lagoon and the potential for conflicts with existing activities and ecosystems, these new initiatives require careful planning. In 2018, the Department initiated studies to relocate some aquaculture operations and to identify potential new sites outside the lagoon for aquaculture expansion. A multi-institutional technical team conducted field surveys to explore suitable offshore aquaculture sites in the northeast, north, northwest, and west regions of Mauritius. Additionally, aquaculture sites in the southeast that conflicted with other sea users were relocated, with a detailed technical report submitted to the Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries for review. To address the increased traffic of leisure crafts and the overcrowding of existing mooring areas, regulations were introduced in 2017 to facilitate the construction of marina-related structures. These regulations aim to improve navigation in the lagoon, offer boat services, and prevent marine pollution. The Marine Spatial Planning Working Group (MSP WG) has also held several sessions to pinpoint suitable locations for future marina development. | The Department for Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration & Exploration (CSMZAE) has established the Mauritius Ocean Observatory E-platform to support the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) initiative of the Republic of Mauritius. This E-platform is designed as a comprehensive resource for collecting, storing, organizing, and providing access to spatio-temporal geospatial data relevant to ocean exploration and development. It centralizes data related to the maritime zones of Mauritius, enhancing data discovery and sharing among researchers, partners, and users engaged in management, policy-making, and planning. Additionally, the E-platform provides access to cruise reports and data from research cruises sanctioned under the Maritime Zones (Conduct of Marine Scientific Research) Regulations 2017. It integrates a wide range of information including oceanographic, geological, geochemical, and geophysical data, as well as details on maritime boundaries and ocean uses. | |
Marine Spatial Planning in the Mauritius-Seychelles Joint Management Area | International Collaboration and Capacity Building in MSP | |
In 2011, the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf granted the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles joint jurisdiction over a 396,000 square kilometer area of the seabed and sub-soil in the Mascarene Plateau Region, known as the Joint Management Area (JMA). This collaboration is supported by a robust institutional and legal framework to facilitate seabed and subsoil resource exploration and exploitation. A three-tiered administrative structure, consisting of the Ministerial Council, the Joint Commission, and the Designated Authority, manages the JMA. The Governments of Mauritius and Seychelles have also launched the JMA project with support from GEF and UNDP, focusing on demonstrating innovative ocean governance and delivering best practices for Extended Continental Shelf management. This project began in 2018 and lasted four years. Both states have shown a strong commitment to sustainable development in the JMA, incorporating it into their Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) processes. This includes baseline characterization, gap identification for MSP framework development, and long-term sustainable management strategies. A Strategic MSP Roadmap was adopted in 2019, and a draft Marine Spatial Plan for the JMA is under review as of 2024. | Officers from the Department for CSMZAE along with representatives from other ministries and departments, are participating in the International Training Programme on Marine Spatial Planning. This programme is organized by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SWAM) in collaboration with the World Maritime University (WMU), Swedish Geological Surveys (SGU), NIRAS International Consulting (NIC), the Nairobi Convention Secretariat (NCS), and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA). The training aims to enhance institutional capabilities for Marine Spatial Planning in the Western Indian Ocean Region through a series of webinars, change projects, and regional workshops. | |
Coral Farming | ||
The Mauritius Oceanography Institute (MOI) initiated a three year pilot-based coral farming project” in 2008 to study the feasibility of culturing corals in land- and sea- based nurseries. During implementation of the project, selected coral species (including fast growing species, bleaching resistant species/strains, rare threatened species and few ornamental species) were successfully cultured in both nurseries. Building on these results, the MOI initiated a “Small Scale Reef Rehabilitation Programme” in 2012. The “Coral Gardening Concept/Reef Gardening Technique” was adapted to local conditions for mass culture of selected coral species in locally-adapted multi-layered rope nurseries prior to transplantation to recipient reef sites either on natural substrates or on locally-adapted artificial reef rehabilitation modules (ARRMs). In 2017, the MOI initiated a National project entitled “Community based coral culture project in the Republic of Mauritius”. This three year project aimed at capacity building of coastal communities in coral culture and small scale reef rehabilitation techniques. Following an island-wide awareness raising programme, four sites namely La Gaulette (west), Quatre Soeurs (east), Grand Gaube (north) and Bel Ombre (south) were selected for project implementation. 102 participants have been successfully trained in set-up, maintenance, monitoring and management of demo sea-based coral farms and coral gardens, out-planting over 8000 coral colonies, creating 16 coral gardens and restoring over 1500 m² of degraded reefs under the Coral Culture Training Programme (CCTP). Following on the success of the CCTP, the MOI was funded by the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP (Nairobi Convention Secretariat) for implementing a project entitled “Coral culture for small scale reef rehabilitation in Mauritius”. This enabled the MOI to extend its on-going community-based coral culture project at three additional sites namely Bambous Virieux, Poudre d’Or and Le Morne, where a total coral cover 1050 m² was restored. MOI continues to undertake community-based coral culture projects under the government-funded initiatives and projects including the “Assistance Scheme on Coral Culture and Fish Breeding”. The MOI is currently actively implementing the regional project entitled “Restoring Marine Ecosystem Services by Rehabilitating Coral Reefs to Meet a Changing Climate Future”, which is financed under the UNDP-Adaptation Fund and co-financed by the Government of Mauritius. This project aims at reducing the impact of climate change on local communities and coral reef-dependent economic sectors in Mauritius and Seychelles by implementing large-scale coral reef restoration with thermo-tolerant corals as adaptation to climate change. | ||
