Diospyros revaughanii ebony - MonVert Arboretum 5

Perrier Nature Reserve (IUCN IV) is a small nature reserve protecting indigenous plants and

primary forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

, in the central highlands of

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

. It is still closed to the public.

Indigenous vegetation

This CMA nature reserve protects a rare patch of Mauritian

, and a selection of extremely rare

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

plants, such as ''

Diospyros revaughanii ''Diospyros revaughanii'' is a rare species of tree in the family Ebenaceae (ebony). The tree is one of several species of ebony tree which are endemic to the island of Mauritius, in the western Indian Ocean. Description A short, evergree ...

'', '' Noronhia macrophylla'' (one plant surviving, down from two reported in 1980), '' Syzygium commersonii'', '' Tambourissa peltata'', '' Croton vaughanii'', '' Erythrospermum monticulum'', '' Chionanthus boutoni'' (only two plants surviving) and the rare and ornate ''

Trochetia blackburniana ''Trochetia'' is a genus of flowering plants from the family Malvaceae (formerly in the Sterculiaceae, but this family is now usually subsumed in the Malvaceae). They are endemic to the Mascarene Islands. The genus was first described by A.P. d ...

'', among many others. The vegetation type is ''"Mauritius Wet Forest"'' with ''

Sideroxylon ''Sideroxylon'' is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753. They are collectively known as bully trees. The generic name is derived from the Greek words σιδηρος (''sideros''), meaning "iron", and ...

'' dominant, and it has been used as a source of original seed, for rehabilitating surrounding areas. The forest canopy is low (under 10 meters) and composed mainly of "Manglier rouge" (''

Sideroxylon puberulum ''Sideroxylon puberulum'', or manglier rouge, is a species of plant in the family Sapotaceae. It is endemic to Mauritius. Description It produces dense, elegant whorls of leaves, which are thick, leathery, elliptical and covered in reddish bro ...

'') and "Manglier vert" (''

Sideroxylon cinereum ''Sideroxylon'' is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753. They are collectively known as bully trees. The generic name is derived from the Greek words σιδηρος (''sideros''), meaning "iron", and ...

''). A very diverse under-storey of species include ''

Aphloia theiformis ''Aphloia'' is a genus of flowering plants that contains a single species, ''Aphloia theiformis'', the sole species of the monogeneric family Aphloiaceae. It is a species of evergreen shrubs or small trees occurring in East Africa, Madagasca ...

'', '' Ocotea laevigata'' and ''

Pandanus eydouxia ''Pandanus eydouxia'' is a species of plant in the family Pandanaceae, endemic to Mauritius. Description A tall (10-12m) branching tree that forms a wide, domed canopy. The 20–25 cm wide trunk is grey and cracked, while younger stems b ...

'' among others.

History and management

It was designated in 1951, but intensive management of the alien invasive species was only begun in 1969, led chiefly by Conservator of Forests Abdool Wahab Owadally. It incorporates only 1.75 ha (the smallest but most pristine nature reserve in Mauritius), and is located in the central highlands of Mauritius (altitude c.550 m), just north of

Mare aux Vacoas Mare aux Vacoas is the largest reservoir in Mauritius. It is located in Plaines Wilhems, in the southwest of the island, to the south of the town of Curepipe. It has a capacity of and provides water to the upper Plaines Wilhems and to Moka Moka ...

. It is managed by the Mauritian Forestry Service (MFS). It is an extremely sensitive site, and is not yet open to the public.http://www.mu.undp.org/content/dam/mauritius_and_seychelles/docs/documents/Rays%20of%20Hope.pdf

References

{{coord missing, Mauritius Environment of Mauritius Protected areas established in 1951 Protected areas of Mauritius