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Round Island

Introduction

Round IslandRound Island, a 169 ha islet situated off the North coast of Mauritius, is also home to the last remnant of Palm Savannah, a habitat that was once widespread throughout much of coastal Mauritius. This small patch of palm savannah has acted as a haven for these beautiful and fascinating animals. Even this "last stand" was threatened until recently by the destructive effects of introduced goats and rabbits which were preventing plant regeneration and causing severe soil erosion. Thankfully, rats never reached Round Island.

Geology

The island is a steep-sided basaltic volcanic cone composed mainly of beds of volcanic tuff with some coarse ejects and a few large boulders of solid basalt. Weathering and erosion have combined to sculpture numerous cavernous overhangs, steps, pedestals and other weird shapes. High intensity rainfall has cut numerous gullies in which there is no accumulation of water. The greater part of the shoreline is bounded by sheer cliffs 50-100m high. The combination of topography and soft rocks means that the terrain is treacherous. Nineteenth century records indicate that some parts of the islands were covered with a rich and deep layer of soil while other parts were barren. Most areas are now devoid of soil. The soil that remains is generally acidic and highly variable in depth and organic matter. The soil is deepest in gullies.

Conservation

Round Island was classified as a Nature Reserve in 1957. It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mauritius and is administered jointly by the National Parks and Conservation Service (NPCS) and Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF).

The MWF and the NPCS began by eradicating the goats and rabbits from Round Island, with the help of New Zealand experts. This was successfully achieved by 1987 and there is now a comprehensive effort to reforest the island by propagating and planting out species that are known to have once grown there. By protecting and improving the habitat in this way the reptiles will be given a far better chance of survival. Indeed, early indications seem to show an increase in numbers of the Round Island Boa (Casarea dussumieri), though more in depth studies are required to determine the actual population size.

The survival of the Round Island boa is being further aided by the establishment of a captive breeding programme at the Jersey Zoo. The snake is now successfully breeding and it is hoped that captive reared young can be successfully released back into the wild. Similar captive breeding programmes for the boa and Phelsuma guentheri in Mauritius are being investigated.

Phelsuma species

P. guentheri
P. ornata

 

  

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