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The Grande Montagne Nature Reserve and its treasures
Through our partnership with Air Mauritius for the ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ environmental programme, the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) ensures that an endemic or native tree is planted in either Mauritius or Rodrigues each time an Air Mauritius aircraft takes off from Mauritius. More than 75 000 trees have been planted over the past decade under this programme.
Today, we wish to present to you the Grande Montagne Nature Reserve (GMNR) in Rodrigues. This 20-hectare forest is a special place, it shelters one of the last remnants of Rodrigues’ native forest, considered as high altitude as it culminates to about 300 m above sea level. The reserve is run by Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) and the Rodrigues Forestry Services have been conducting restoration work in the reserve since the 1980s.
Some 40 endemic and native plant species can be found in this natural habitat including the Café marron (Ramosmania rodriguesii), the Mandrinette de Rodrigues (Hibiscus liliiflorus), the ‘Bois fer’ (Eugenia rodriguesensis) and the ‘Bois puant’ (Foetidia rodriguesiana). This forest is also home to Rodrigues only two remaining endemic bird species namely the Rodrigues Fody (Foudia flavicans) and the Rodrigues Warbler (Acrocephalus rodericanus). The Grande Montagne Nature Reserve also shelters the Rodrigues Fruit Bat (Pteropus rodricensis), also known as the Golden Fruit Bat, which is Rodrigues’ unique endemic bat.
After several years of restoration works (which is still ongoing), the reserve had been made open to the public through Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) Rodrigues guided ecotours. The visitors can see Aldabra Giant Tortoises, along with endemic and native species of the island.
The visit includes a passage at the Dominique Farla Information Centre, where is displayed the most complete preserved skeleton in Rodrigues of the Solitaire, and an endemic giant tortoise – both of which are now extinct. There are paintings of Rodrigues’ extinct fauna, as well as detailed portraits of the remaining endemic birds and rare plants. The nature reserve is accessed from this building, up a flight of steps, then under the canopy of mature endemic Pandanus trees.
A guide takes visitors to the main viewpoint, overlooking the east coast including Pointe Cotton, the St François Bay area, Grenade, and as far south as Port Sud Est, the southern lagoon and La Grande Passe.
To note that, just for the year 2022/2023, 3 500 plants have been put to ground in the reserve as part of the One Take-off, One Tree programme.
