Mauritius is a small island nation in the Indian Ocean with an unusual natural history. Its most famous animal is the dodo, a large flightless bird that went extinct in the late 1600s, not long after humans arrived on the island.
The dodo’s story made Mauritius a symbol of extinction, and the island’s surviving endemic birds and plants are now the focus of serious conservation work. Projects on the mainland and on offshore islets work to control invasive species and restore native forest.
The original article’s species counts were removed because they could not be verified. Exact biodiversity numbers need named sources, and this article had none it could stand behind.
Students of island conservation should look for programs with real field placements and check which local organizations they work with. Related reading: lemur conservation in Madagascar, coral reef management in the Maldives, marine protected areas in Palau, and tropical biodiversity in Papua New Guinea.

