Editing Mauritius (section)

== Environment and climate ==
[[File:Black River Gorges National Park, Mauritius.jpg|left|thumb|[[Black River Gorges National Park]]]]{{Main|Geography of Mauritius}}
{{Anchor|Climate change in Mauritius}}The environment in Mauritius is typically tropical in the coastal regions with forests in the mountainous areas. Seasonal cyclones are destructive to its flora and fauna, although they recover quickly. Mauritius ranked second in an [[air quality index]] released by the [[World Health Organization]] in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 September 2011|title=Mauritius's air quality 2nd best in world|url=http://www.lematinal.com/mobile/sante/13945-Mauritiuss-air-quality-2nd-best-in-world.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010163739/http://www.lematinal.com/mobile/sante/13945-Mauritiuss-air-quality-2nd-best-in-world.html|archive-date=10 October 2013|access-date=22 January 2015|publisher=Le Matinal}}</ref> It had a 2019 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 5.46/10, ranking it 100th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{Cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|display-authors=1|year=2020|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|page=5978|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|issn=2041-1723|pmc=7723057|pmid=33293507|doi-access=free|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|s2cid=228082162}}</ref>

Situated near the [[Tropic of Capricorn]], Mauritius has a [[tropical climate]]. There are 2 seasons: a warm humid summer from November to April, with a mean temperature of {{convert|24.7|C}} and a relatively cool dry winter from June to September with a mean temperature of {{convert|20.4|C}}. The temperature difference between the seasons is only <!-- Please don't user convert template to describe a range -->4.3{{nbsp}}°C (7.7{{nbsp}}°F). The warmest months are January and February with average day maximum temperature reaching {{convert|29.2|C}} and the coolest months are July and August with average overnight minimum temperatures of {{convert|16.4|C}}. Annual rainfall ranges from {{convert|900|mm|abbr=on}} on the coast to {{convert|1500|mm|abbr=on}} on the central plateau. Although there is no marked rainy season, most of the rainfall occurs in the summer months. Sea temperature in the lagoon varies from {{convert|22|-|27|C}}. The central plateau is much cooler than the surrounding [[coastal]] areas and can experience as much as twice the rainfall. The prevailing trade winds keep the east side of the island cooler and bring more rain. Occasional [[tropical cyclones]] generally occur between January and March and tend to disrupt the weather for about three days, bringing heavy rain.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Climate of Mauritius|url=http://metservice.intnet.mu/climate-services/climate-of-mauritius.php|access-date=22 January 2015|publisher=Mauritius Meteorological Services}}</ref>

Prime Minister [[Pravind Jugnauth]] declared an environmental state of emergency after the 25 July [[2020 in East Africa|2020]] [[MV Wakashio oil spill|''MV Wakashio'' oil spill]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Navin Singh|first=Khadka|date=12 August 2020|title=Why the Mauritius oil spill is so serious|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53754751|access-date=28 November 2020}}</ref> France sent aircraft and specialists from [[Réunion]] and [[Greenpeace]] said that the leak threatened the survival of thousands of species, who are at "risk of drowning in a sea of pollution".<ref>{{Cite news|title=Oil spill threatens ecological disaster as Mauritius declares emergency|publisher=Yahoo! News|agency=Reuters|url=https://news.yahoo.com/france-offers-aid-mauritius-declares-122144531.html|access-date=8 August 2020}}</ref>
Mauritius is increasingly vulnerable to [[climate change]], facing rising temperatures, [[Sea level rise|sea levels]], and more frequent [[extreme weather]] events. The island faces stronger tropical cyclones, prolonged droughts, flash floods, landslides, and [[marine heatwave]]s which leading to [[coral bleaching]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Doorga |first=Jay Rovisham Singh |date=2022-10-01 |title=Climate change and the fate of small islands: The case of Mauritius |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S146290112200199X#: |journal=Environmental Science & Policy |volume=136 |pages=282–290 |doi=10.1016/j.envsci.2022.06.012 |bibcode=2022ESPol.136..282D |issn=1462-9011}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Fiertz |first=Natalie |date=1 October 2024 |title=CORVI: Assessing Priority Climate Risks in Mauritius |url=https://www.stimson.org/2024/corvi-assessing-priority-climate-risks-in-mauritius/# |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Stimson Center |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=UNEP |date=2023-01-24 |title=Mauritius sets goals to curb the triple planetary crisis |url=https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/mauritius-sets-goals-curb-triple-planetary-crisis |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.unep.org |language=en}}</ref> Coastal erosion, driven by rising sea levels, threatens infrastructure and freshwater supplies.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal |title=Mauritius |url=https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/mauritius |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org |language=en}}</ref> Climate change is also impacting key sectors such as tourism and fisheries, with significant economic consequences.<ref name=":6" /> To [[Climate change adaptation|adapt]], Mauritius is implementing disaster preparedness measures, protecting coastal ecosystems like [[mangrove]]s, and raising public awareness.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |author=Department of Climate Change, Republic of Mauritius |url=https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/BTR1_Mauritius_Final%202.pdf |title=Mauritius' First Biennial Transparency Report |date=December 2024 |publisher=Republic of Mauritius}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=UNDP |title=Climate Change Adaptation in Mauritius' Coastal Zone {{!}} UNDP Climate Change Adaptation |url=https://www.adaptation-undp.org/projects/climate-change-adaptation-mauritius-coastal-zone |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.adaptation-undp.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mauritian Government |date=2020-02-21 |title=Mauritius: Climate Change Act |url=https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/mauritius-climate-change-act |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.preventionweb.net |language=en}}</ref>

=== Biodiversity ===
{{Main|Wildlife of Mauritius}}

[[File:Dronte dodo Raphus cucullatus.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|Mauritius was the only known habitat of the extinct [[dodo]], a flightless bird.]] [[File:Phelsuma ornata - journal.pbio.1001382.png|thumb|[[Mauritius ornate day gecko]]]]

The country is home to some of the world's rarest plants and animals, but human habitation and the introduction of [[non-native species]] have threatened its indigenous flora and fauna.<ref name="BBC" /> Due to its volcanic origin, age, isolation, and unique terrain, Mauritius is home to a diversity of flora and fauna not usually found in such a small area. Before the Portuguese arrival in 1507, there were no terrestrial mammals on the island. This allowed the evolution of a number of flightless birds and large reptile species. The arrival of humans saw the introduction of invasive alien species, the rapid destruction of habitat and the loss of much of the endemic flora and fauna. In particular, the [[extinction]] of the flightless [[dodo]] bird, a species unique to Mauritius, has become a representative example of human-driven extinction.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Shapiro|first1=Beth|last2=Sibthorpe|first2=Dean|last3=Rambaut|first3=Andrew|last4=Wragg|first4=Graham M.|last5=Bininda-Emonds|first5=Olaf R.P.|last6=Lee|first6=Patricia L.M.|last7=Coooper|first7=Alan|display-authors=3|year=2002|title=Flight of the Dodo|url=http://pgl.soe.ucsc.edu/dodo_Shapiro02.pdf|journal=Science|volume=295|issue=5560|page=1683|doi=10.1126/science.295.5560.1683|pmid=11872833}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Smaill|first=Belinda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3y8eDQAAQBAJ&dq=dodo+extinction+emblematic&pg=PA76|title=Regarding Life: Animals and the Documentary Moving Image| page= 76 |date= 2016|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-1-4384-6249-3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Hollars|first=B. J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K94nDwAAQBAJ&dq=dodo+%22poster+child%22&pg=PA3|title=Flock Together: A Love Affair with Extinct Birds|date=1 February 2017|publisher=U of Nebraska Press|isbn=978-0-8032-9642-8}}</ref> The dodo is prominently featured as a (heraldic) [[supporter]] of the national [[coat of arms of Mauritius]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Republic of Mauritius- Coat of Arms|url=http://www.govmu.org/English/ExploreMauritius/NationalSymbols/Pages/Coat-of-Arms.aspx|access-date=27 March 2019|website=govmu.org|archive-date=27 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327180439/http://www.govmu.org/English/ExploreMauritius/NationalSymbols/Pages/Coat-of-Arms.aspx}}</ref>

Less than 2% of the [[Forest|native forest]] now remains, concentrated in the [[Black River Gorges National Park]] in the south-west, the Bambous Mountain Range in the south-east, and the Moka-Port Louis Ranges in the north-west. There are some isolated mountains, [[Corps de Garde]], [[Le Morne Brabant]], and several [[Islets of Mauritius|offshore islands]], with remnants of coastal and mainland diversity. Over 100 species of plants and animals have become extinct and many more are threatened. Conservation activities began in the 1980s with the implementation of programmes for the reproduction of threatened bird and plant species as well as habitat restoration in the national parks and nature reserves.<ref>{{Cite book|publisher=National Parks and Conservation Services, Government of Mauritius|title=Chapter 1. Introduction to the Republic of Mauritius|access-date=22 January 2015|url=http://npcs.govmu.org/English//DOCUMENTS/CHAP1.PDF|archive-date=3 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403104113/http://npcs.govmu.org/English//DOCUMENTS/CHAP1.PDF}}</ref>

In 2011, the Ministry of Environment & Sustainable Development issued the "Mauritius Environment Outlook Report," which recommended that St Brandon be declared a [[Marine protected area]]. In the President's Report of the [[Mauritian Wildlife Foundation]] (MWF) dated March 2016, St Brandon is declared an official MWF project to promote the conservation of the atoll.<ref>{{Cite web|title=President's Report of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation dated March 2016|url=http://www.mauritian-wildlife.org/application/includes/common/download.php?type=11&record=4E911EA9-BE8F-FB3C-1025-8CFF6C9D3136|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref>

The [[Mauritian flying fox]] is the only remaining mammal endemic to the island, and has been severely threatened in recent years due to the government sanctioned culling introduced in November 2015 due to the belief that they were a threat to fruit plantations. Prior to 2015 the lack of severe cyclone had seen the fruit bat population increase and the status of the species was then changed by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|IUCN]] from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2014. October 2018, saw the authorisation of the cull of 20% of the fruit bat population, amounting to 13,000 of the estimated 65,000 fruit bats remaining, although their status had already reverted to Endangered due to the previous years' culls.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Welcome to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) – In The Field – Mauritius – Mauritius Fruit Bat|url=http://www.mauritian-wildlife.org/application/index.php?tpid=30&tcid=81|access-date=22 February 2019|website=mauritian-wildlife.org|archive-date=16 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316190712/http://www.mauritian-wildlife.org/application/index.php?tpid=30&tcid=81}}</ref>