You would be mistaken for thinking that Mauritius is covered in lush tropical native forest as nearly a quarter of the island is forested. Yet less than 2% of the original high quality native forest remains. And, it’s under attack from invasive plant species....
Where would we be without Christelle! Life would certainly be much more disorganized and of course, we would all drink less coffee! Christelle ensures the smooth running of our training courses, workshops and webinars! Plus she keeps us well-fed with cookies and cakes. ...
While other little boys were obsessed with tractors, Owen, the joint director of Ebony Forest, La Vanille Nature Park, Bioculture and Biodiversity Conservation Madagascar dreamt of snails. Mauritius, with over 125 known indigenous snail species, many of which were discovered and identified by Owen, was a perfect place to call home. ...
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Our gal Adisha is a powerful and determined lady, with a mind to match. She’s a swiss army knife, ready for action!...
Nikki volunteered with us for one month at the start of 2020. Besides bringing her bubbly personality and energy, Nikki assisted our conservation team in their daily activities. Nikki kept a brief journal of some of her activities....
As everyone knows, size does matter for so many things! But how do we find the largest? How do we measure it? Is it the girth or the length that makes it the biggest? And why is it so important?...
Mass planting projects have become a craze worldwide, with countries or groups trying to break records of how many plants can be planted in a day or month! These seemingly good initiatives, often touted in efforts to tackle climate change, can in fact make matters worse....
If you had to get stuck on a desert island and you could have only one companion, you would be wise to choose Denis. He would have you living in luxury 5 star shelters. But whatever you do, do not eat one of his mushroom dishes! Denis is happiest when up a tree! Denis is the Kestrel and Echo Parakeet coordinator at Ebony Forest. He has an MSc in Biodiversity Management from the University of Toulouse, France. Denis joined the Ebony Forest team in September 2019, with over 12 years’ of field conservation experience on multiple bird projects in Mauritius. His practical skills in bird handling, ringing and rigging transmitter harnesses, building and setting up nest boxes, tree climbing, hand rearing, doing bird releases and many more ecological skills are an asset to the team. When not working, Denis likes to go abseiling, hiking, orienteering and crafting items with wood and metal. Denis’ position has been part funded by grants from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. What advice would you give to anyone working in the field? Don't eat mushrooms! ;-) but brede gandole is fine. [Denis infamously made dinner with some wild mushrooms and spent the next week in hospital. Needless to say, we think he will never make this mistake again…..we hope!] What lead you to a career in conservation? I landed in conservation half by accident. I went to France to study medicine but failed the selection exam to get into second year. From there, I searched for a biology related line of work but which suited my desire for a career which would be useful to society. For a class presentation, I chose to talk about the Mauritius Kestrel, which got me interested in conservation. Since then, I chose to pursue ecology as my Master's degree and conservation as my career. What does a...
Striving for a greener, brighter, healthier future together with MCB A day out for your primary or secondary school child doesn’t just have to be about the fun in the bus, eating too much sugar and escaping the confines of the classroom! It’s about discovering something new in a fun and interactive way……. as well as escaping for the day! What’s more, Mauritius has so many surprises and secrets to share about its past, present and future. Every day is a school day, no matter what age you are! It’s our objective at Ebony Forest to rewild and reconnect the younger generation to nature. Children are reportedly spending an average of 6-8 hours daily in front of screens. Sadly with Covid-19, this has got worse. Worldwide school children are creating a revolution, demanding society wakes up and stop the destructive and abusive habits of the earth. As the future’s responsible global citizens, we need to inspire, educate and provide them with the right tools and skills for a sustainable future. That’s why not only does a school outing to Ebony Forest, include curricula-related interactive and educational activities in the forest and our natural history musuem, but every child on a school outing receives a FREE, yes FREE, education pack! Secondary and primary school books sponsored by the Mauritius Commercial Bank, written by Celine Chowa, illustrated by Henry Koombes and produced by Vizavi. How is that possible? Well it is all thanks to MCB! MCB sponsored the development of not one, but two, education packs. The primary school pack consists of a colouring book filled with endemic animals and plants and a fun memory game for all the family to learn something new! The secondary school pack, written by Céline Chowa and illustrated by none-other than Tikoulou artist, Henry Koombes, comes with a Happy Families...