They will hopefully help to save the world's rarest parrot, the only parrot which is endemic to Mauritius. So far, we have good news. This year, a record 9 young birds were reared in captivity and in the wild to bring the total world population to 40. However, the urgency remains. The population will have to reach 500 before one can disregard the threat of extinction.
Intense management has to be carried out until such time.
In 1982, with funding from the World Wide Fund for Nature and expertise from the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, plant conservation projects were started. Many other international organizations have since been committed and conservation work has developed as a result of this international co-operation. By the early 1980s, it was obvious that local co-ordination was necessary. Once called a paradise, this island covering 109 sq. Kms, situated at 600 kms to the east of Mauritius, has become one of the most degraded islands in the world.