Ebony Forest is located on the island of Mauritius, off the southeast coast of Africa. Since human colonisation in the 16th century, the island’s native forests have been devastated by overexploitation, invasive species, and habitat loss. Today, less than 2% of Mauritius’ high quality native forest remains.

But in a 50-hectare restoration site tucked into the island’s southwest, the team at Ebony Forest is fighting back. Since 2006, they’ve been removing invasive plants, planting native species, and building a safe haven for endangered wildlife like the Mauritius kestrel, Mauritius olive white-eye, and pink pigeon. Their goal? Rebuild a self-sustaining native forest that can stand the test of time.

Restoring what’s been lost

Mauritian forests were once alive with a cacophony of native wildlife. Dodos squawked, broad-billed parrots screeched, Mauritian pigeons cooed, and giant tortoises grunted. The biodiversity was astonishing.

But with colonisation came poaching, logging, pollution, and the introduction of exotic species. The ripple effects were devastating, more than 50% of native flora and fauna was lost.

In relation to its size, Mauritius now has the most threatened island flora in the world. While it has fewer species than continental regions, the percentage of endemism, species found nowhere else, is far higher.

At Ebony Forest, more than 160 native and endemic species of fauna and flora have been recorded. The team works to help trees like black ebony, bois corail, and native palms thrive again. They also conserve endangered birds like the Mauritius kestrel, echo parakeet, pink pigeon, Mauritius black bulbul, Mauritius olive white-eye, and paradise flycatcher, geckos like the lowland day-gecko, as well as invertebrates and snails like Pachystyla bicolor.

To protect these species and recreate a resilient ecosystem, the team relies on a combination of weeding, planting, species re-introduction, nest box provision, supplementary feeding, and, critically, predator control.

A backbone of smart trapping

Invasive mammals are one of the greatest threats to native biodiversity in Mauritius. Rats, tenrecs (hedgehog-like creatures), and small Indian mongooses raid nests, eat chicks, and wipe out insect populations that native species depend on.

In partnership with the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, the team installed a 50-hectare trapping grid at Ebony Forest and a 40-hectare grid at Vallée de L’Est, one of their other conservation sites. That includes 341 A18 traps (designed for Grey Squirrels but adapted to small Indian mongooses too), placed at 50-metre intervals, and a large network of 961 A24 traps (for rats) at 25-metre spacing, adapted for tropical environments.

“Goodnature traps are placed in both easy-access and harder-to-reach areas,” says Nicolas Zuël, Conservation Manager. “The big benefit is that they don’t need to be checked daily like traditional traps. That saves us huge amounts of time and labour, so our team can focus on other vital conservation work.”

“Together with wildcats, mongooses were identified as the main predators of large endemic Mauritian birds like the Mauritius kestrel and the pink pigeon,” explains Nicolas. “Controlling the mongoose can have a big impact on native biodiversity.”

Other tools are still used, including Timm’s and AT220 traps, but the A18s and A24s have added a consistent, efficient backbone to the predator control programme. By reducing predator pressure, the traps protect vulnerable predator-naive species, especially birds and reptiles.

Community-powered conservation

This mahi isn’t done alone. The conservation team composed of local staff, is supported by international volunteers, who help Ebony Forest thrive.

The work is tough, managing invasive plants, monitoring traps, nurturing seedlings, and repeating the process again and again. But the results are real, and the team is in it for the long haul.

Education is key. Schoolchildren visit the reserve to learn about Mauritius’ unique biodiversity. For many, it’s their first time seeing a kestrel in the wild or hearing the call of a pink pigeon. Tourism helps too, funds from guided visits and eco-activities support the conservation programme and help raise awareness globally. As a training centre, Ebony Forest is also sharing its insights with aspiring conservationists and other nature conservation organisations.

What success looks like

When work began in 2006, they started from the ground up. The entire 50-hectare forest was invaded by exotic plants such as Chinese guava, tecoma, travellers’ trees, liane cerf and jamrosa. Today, 35 hectares are under full restoration, and the rest is underway.

They’re in a constant race to control exotic species, grow native plants from seed and cuttings, then plant, weed, and monitor. Nest boxes and supplementary feeding help support reintroduced species as the forest recovers.

“Since we installed the traps, we’ve seen a reduction in the number of mongooses at Ebony Forest compared to the neighbouring control area, and a boom in natural seedling regeneration as rat numbers have declined,” says Nicolas. “It’s very encouraging to know that only 10% of cameras in the zone with traps are detecting rats.”

With echo parakeets, Mauritius olive white-eye and pink pigeons reintroduced, native forest steadily recovering, and predator numbers declining, the team is proving what’s possible with long-term commitment, smart tools, and a lot of grit.