 Île aux Aigrettes seen from the shore of the Mauritius mainland | |
  Île aux Aigrettes Location in Mauritius | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | East coast of Mauritius |
| Coordinates | 20°25′12″S57°43′59″E / 20.42000°S 57.73306°E /-20.42000; 57.73306 |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 200 (est.) |
Ile aux Aigrettes is anislet off the south-east coast ofMauritius. It functions as a nature reserve and a scientific research station. It is also a popular visitors attraction—both for tourists and for Mauritians.[1]
It has an area of 27 hectares (67 acres) and is the largestislet in the Grand Port bay, 850 metres (2,790 ft) off the south-east coast ofMauritius and roughly a kilometer (0.62 mi) from the coastal town of Mahebourg. It is low-lying and is formed from coral-limestone (unlike the majority of Mauritius which is from volcanic rock).
Ile aux Aigrettes conserves the world's only remaining piece of Mauritius Dry Coastal Forest—a once plentiful vegetation type. It is therefore home to a large number of extremely rare orendangered species of plants and animals.
Over several hundred years, indigenous flora and fauna was devastated by logging and invasive species. In this sense, the islet shared the same fate as the rest of Mauritius. TheDodo and the indigenous species ofgiant tortoise became extinct, as did many plant species.[2]
Relicts of some species survived though, and in 1965 the island was declared a nature reserve. There followed intense work to restore the vegetation and the few remaining indigenous animal species. In addition, several other species which had disappeared from the island—but survived elsewhere in Mauritius—were reintroduced.[3]
Reptile species include the large, slowTelfairs Skink, several species of ornately colouredday gecko, and a population of non-indigenousAldabra giant tortoise, brought to Île aux Aigrettes to take over the important ecological role of the extinct Mauritian tortoises. The large tortoises eat and spread the plant seeds and thereby help the forest to rejuvenate naturally.[4]
The rare, endemicebony tree speciesDiospyros egrettarum is named after this island, on which it is plentiful.
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Media related toIle aux Aigrettes at Wikimedia Commons.svg)