Justification

The population of this species has successfully been maintained at over 50 mature individuals since 1993, but over 250 only since 1996. It is therefore downlisted from Critical to Endangered, but not yet to Vulnerable. However, it seems doubtful that present populations could be maintained without the current intense management programme and, were management to cease, this species would stand a high risk of extinction. It still has an extremely small population, concentrated in just a few locations, and remains threatened by a continuing decline in the quality of suitable habitat.

Threats

Severe loss of habitat has been compounded by predation of nests and adults by introduced M. fascicularis, mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus, rats and feral cats^5,8. Cyclones destroy nests and accelerate habitat degradation⁴. Disease and late-winter food shortages are also threats³.

Conservation

A captive-breeding and reintroduction programme, combined with establishment of Conservation Management Areas, habitat restoration, control of exotic predators, supplementary feeding, nest guarding, clutch and brood (fostering) manipulations, rescue of eggs and young from failing nests, control of disease and monitoring of survival and productivity, has helped this species survive⁴. The Black River National Park covers much of its range⁸. Research is ongoing into genetic variation so that the effects of the population bottleneck can be quantified and populations managed to preserve genetic diversity³.

Targets

*Continue research into population genetics and disease⁴. *Continue rehabilitation of mainland native vegetation⁷. *Extend Conservation Management Areas and surrounding predator-proof fences⁴. *Consider introduction to other Mauritian islets (and Rif ecosystem rehabilitation and predator elimination are successful⁷.