IUCN was founded in the year 1948. It is a comprehensive way for reporting global conservation status on various plants and animals. The 2006 Red List consists of 40,168 species. Which also includes Hibiscus Fragilis plant. These plants are only found in the steep mountain slopes of Mauritius.

Mauritius Hibiscus Flowers:
Hibiscus Fragilis is an ever green plant. The flowers are 7-10 cms in diameter. There are five petals and the petals are pink or carmine red in color. The plant looks similar to the Chinese Hibiscus. Mandrinette plants are decreasing in number and hence included in the list of endangered plant species.

There are only 46 plants existing now. Introduction of Hibiscus Fragilis as a garden plant is the key reason for decline in the number of plants. The plants regeneration factor is considered to be very poor. The flower are ornamental.

Precautions taken for Conservation of Hibiscus Fragilis:
The plants are not able to reproduce due to heavy competition from variety of Hibiscus species. Hybridisation with Hibiscus plants is also a major factor that is hindering the growth of Mandrinette. However, few precautions were taken to protect the plant from becoming extinct.

The precautions include:
These plants reproduce easily by cutting and seeds. NPCS nursery is home to 200 plants. Royal Botanic Garden, Kew is also trying to reproduce this plant by using Ex-situ conservation methods.

Types of Biomes:
There are almost 30 biomes on earth. But fundamental classification of Biomes is as follows:

• Terrestrial Biomes or Land Biomes
• Fresh Water Biomes and
• Marine Biomes

Of all the Biomes Marine Biome is the largest. It covers three- fourths of the earth. Marine biomes are also home to phytoplankton and kelp. These help in the production of 5% of the oxygen in the world.

Mauritius Biomes:
Terrestrial Biomes: Mauritius was home to some of the extinct species of birds like dodo, the Mauritius Solitaire and the Mauritius blue- pigeon. The Black River National Park in Mauritius is a terrestrial biome. One can see rare plants such as Mauritius parakeet, delicate Mauritius olive white-eye and rare birds such as Large Pink Pigeons and Mauritius foodies in the Black River National Park.

Marine Biomes: Oceans, coral reefs and estuaries together form marine biomes. Mauritius being an island in the Indian Ocean is one of the largest marine biomes. There also number of coral reefs found in Mauritius. Marine Biomes are home to number of plants like algae, mollusks. Sea stars, small fishes, herbivorous snails, crabs, and other invertebrates are also found in Mauritius marine biomes.

Location of Casela Bird Park
The tourist can enjoy the company of lovely birds at the Casela Bird Park. This park happens to cover an area of 25 acres (10 hectares) and is located near the flanks of the Rempart Mountain. The surrounding area is all countryside and one would enjoy the sights around the park.

The park is located in the area of Black River Gorges It is of course an interesting and important biodiversity spot.

What does Casela Park offer to a tourist?
Near the park one comes across a restaurant and snack bar. There are several ponds and streams flowing. In the ponds one comes across tortoises, fishes and several kinds of water birds. It is a lovely sight indeed. Nearby there is a zoo as well.

The Casela Bird Park happens to be home for about 142species of birds, which includes the beautiful long necked Pink Pigeon, which is a rare bird. This bird was facing a threat of extinction. These pink birds were actually donated by the Black River Aviary. One comes across birds from far off places such as Africa, Asia, Americas and Australia. Other birds one comes across are kingfisher, mynah, bustards etc. One also finds animals at the park such as tigers, lemurs etc and several kinds of lizards..

The cacatua alba can be noticed in the Casela park .It is also known as white cockatoo. The population of the cuckatoo is decreasing.

The vegetation that one finds in the park consists of “yej” trees as well as orchids which are seasonal of course. The birds rest on several kinds of tropical trees.

Casela Park is indeed a paradise. It is worth visiting. Those interested in observing birds will definitely find the visit very valuable and informative.

Divers would enjoy the sights under the water. The marine life is very varied and one comes across several types of fishes. Some of them are quite poisonous.

Coral Reefs in Mauritius
The coral reefs are a spectacular sight and protect the coastline. The coastline is a favorite spot for the tourists to hang around. The coral reefs are broken up into several parts. The biggest break is in the Southern coast situated between Souillac and of course Le Bouchon. The coral sand beaches are very enticing indeed and attract a lot of tourists.

In the coral reef area one comes across varied marine flora and fauna. One comes across a variety of fishes.

Marine life in Mauritius
One comes across several kinds of fishes and sharks, turtles, moray eels, dolphins, stone fish. The divers enjoy the sights under the water, looking at the aquatic life. Much of the this aquatic life is getting destroyed due to the dynamite used in the coral reef area.

Fishes of Mauritius
Laffe coral is found in the blue lagoon are of the island It is a poisonous fish. One comes across fishes such as Devil Firefish, Day Octapus, Le Saint Geran, Moorish Idol, Octapus Cyanae, Crown Squirrel, Mono Fingerfish, Lobster, Orange Lined Trigger, Blotched Grouper. The stone fish is very poisonous

Mauritius obviously is the place for fishing. It is a good past-time activity for the tourist. One of course cannot eat all the fishes as some of them are highly poisonous. One also has to be careful as they are dangerous.

The sugar beach in Mauritius is a very attractive and alluring spot to be in. It is in the West coast of the island. The image one draws in one’s mind is “powdery sandy” beach. It is situated on the southern shore of Maui. It stretches from Maalae to North Kihei.

Scenic beauty of Sugar beach resort
Whales play offshore of the Maalae Bay. It is fun watching them. One can also have swim in the blue waters of the bay and relax when one is on holiday out there. There are sprawling tropical gardens

The attractions of Sugar beach resort
This is a fantastic resort situated on the sugar beach. The money that one spends does not go wasted. You will definitely enjoy every moment of your stay there. The resort displays elegant architecture, which is styled on contemporary plantation depiction. It is indeed a mini paradise.

The interiors of the resort are based on “plantation architectural style.”

There are spas and several activities for the family and the kids. One comes across bars and restaurants as well so that one can have gala time in the evening. The Tides Bar has live music. The rooms over look the beach, so one has superb view of the Indian ocean waters. They are also ready in no time, so one can check in as quickly as possible. The menu is of course very tasty and delicious. One can have buffet breakfast and buffet dinner.

The customer service is very good and every body carries out your order with a smile. The management as well as the staff are very efficient. Its service is at its best. They are friendly and very professional.

The facilities at the resort are very good and the stay will be as comfortable as possible. One can entertain oneself to heart’s content.

In case you want to have gala time in Mauritius, then check in at the sugar beach resort. The service is just what you most desire!

Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean and fishing is another activity that tourists can have much pleasure in indulging. Fishing happens to be good past time for many tourists who visit the island. There are lots of fishes to choose from. One also comes across fishes that are poisonous. Let us observe some of them:

Poisonous fishes of Mauritius

1. Laffe corail – This fish is found in the blue lagoon of Mauritius. It is also called scorpion fish. It is very poisonous and dangerous.

2. Fire coral fish – It has a powerful sting when touched. It is a type of jellyfish.

3.Scorpaenopsis gibbosa – This is the scientific name for stone fish. It is usually found in the tropical waters and has the appearance of a stone. This fish is very dangerous and posionous.

4.Lion fish – This is very dangerous, but it is also very beautiful. It is often found hanging around a wreck or coral reef. It has a stripped body and several fins and spines that are displayed very flamboyantly.

5. Scorpaeniformes – This is a very venomous fish and has fan like pectoral fins. The venom happens to very potent. One suffers from nausea, vomiting, headache, fluctuations in blood pressure, limb paralysis etc.

The fishes in Mauritius waters may be very attractive to look at, but some of them are very poisonous. One has to be careful while fishing.

Mauritius, incidentally, is a parliamentary democracy. It has a stable government. The economy happens to be labor intensive and manufacturing industry is export oriented. The standard of living is, no doubt, high as the “per capita gross domestic product” is about $3,900.

Is Mauritius well off?
With so many tourists visiting, the coffers of the economy would be filled with the money that the tourists spend. It is the ideal place for business. Hotel industry does flourish and can provide employment opportunities for many. There are villas, apartments, houses and resorts.

Being a tourist spot, it has lots of opportunities for entertainment. One comes across, shops, pubs, restaurants, hotels, discotheques and casinos.

The cuisine in the restaurants and hotels is of high order and one has much to choose from. Mauritius offers international cuisine with delicacies from China, India, France, Africa etc.

One comes across good medical facilities as there are several clinics. The medical practioners have been trained in the US.

The cost of living, of course, is very high in Mauritius. Being a tourist center, this is not unusual. One has to earn a fairly good salary in order to sustain him or herself well. School education is very expensive and rents are also very high. The prices of cars are very high and electricity charges are also very high.

Mauritius has very good international schools. It is has free market economy and is export oriented. It has an excellent air and sea network of transport. People are very literate. The labor force is bi-lingual and extremely friendly. The market is very favorable. It is an appropriate place to make investments. The economy provides excellent services to the people.

Mauritius is a nice place to settle down. One, of course, must have decent job that is well paying to cover all the expenses and leave something extra for leisure activities.

Geography of Mauritius
Mauritius Islands is situated Indian Ocean, right in the middle. It’s geographical location has definitely influenced its weather. The climate is tropical in nature. The summers are very hot and humid and winters are cold. The Mauritius archipelago has two islands- Mauritius and Rodriguez, the latter being situated about 500 km from the main island. Most of the tourist visit during the Christmas and New Year season. In other words, winter is the best time to visit the island.

History of Mauritius Islands
The islands were initially visited by the Malay and the Arab sailors in and around the 10th century. Then the Dutch came along, followed by the Portuguese. Although the Dutch happened to be the foremost settlers, they left the island on account of unfavorable weather. Then the French ruled and under them there was much economic prosperity.

Battles took place between the British and French and eventually the British took over the island. Finally, in 1968, Mauritius got its independence and was declared a republic.

Mauritius as a tourist attraction
Mauritius is an attractive place for tourists. He or she will simple love his or her holidays to the maximum extent possible. The capital city, Port Louis is situated in the foot hills of the mountains. One comes across French architecture. There are several museums.

The popular places to visit are Domaine Du Chasseur, Mahebourg, Ile Aux aigarettes. In the North of the island, one can visit Pereybere, Grand Bay, Mount Choisy, Pmaplemousse Garden.

There are several pubs, casinos, theatres and cinemas for entertainment. One can also take part in water sports such as surfing, boat rides, water skiing etc. There are land sports as well, such as tennis, bicycling, trekking etc.

One can easily reach Mauritius. It has five airports. The roads are well maintained and connect the city well. One has easy access to comfortable public transport.

Mauritius is worth visiting. Take some time off and pay a visit to the alluring island.

The diving sites can be found around the enticing island behind the alluring coral reefs. The lagoon, of course, are not all that interesting, except for the Marine Parks of Balaclava and parks of Blue Bay.

Where are these diving sites located?
The island can be divided broadly into three vast zones: the South-West(from the Morne) to Flic en Flac, the North-western part ( from Trombeau Bay uptil the islands of the North.) as well as the East ( from Belle Mare to Mahebourg.). the southern region is of course not suitable for diving in rough as well as dangerous sea.

More about sites in diving sites in Mauritius
The South-Western part is famous for its dolphins, which take shelter in the Bays of Tamarin or perhaps Black River. The ” Cathedral ” offers several caves, arches because of its topography and the ” the Rempent Serpent ” has rich fauna to display such as lion fishes, scorpion fishes and moray eels.

The North island has much fauna to offer and has interesting sites such as “Peter Holt’s Rock” etc. which contains giant moray eels and titan trigger- fishes. The islands of north provide attractive opportunities for diving. Sites located at “Gunner’s Coin are indeed worth visiting. Round Island is another popular site. “Banc Rouge” is equally attractive. It is situated between Serpent Island and Round Island.

The Eastern Island is another attractive spot for diving as one comes across varied fauna such as the pelagic species as well as plankton life. One will come across sharks, barracudas, rays jacks etc. The spectacular sites of this area are ” Roche Zozo” as well as “Colorado”

When can one dive in Mauritius?
One can dive all the year around, but the best season, of course, is simmer time from November to April. Here the temperature of the water reaches up to 29 degrees C. In winter the water cools down and the temperature of the waters can come down to 20 degree C , thus making them rough and the visibility very poor.

Whatever said and done the diver has to be adventurous and also take much interest in learning more about what lies under the water. Mauritius is, of course, a diver’s delight!

Overall the climate is very pleasant. A visitor can have good time all throughout the year. Incidentally, Mauritius happens to be a tropical island situated in the Indian Ocean.

Types of climate
Summer – Summer is from November to April and is extremely hot. It is not the right time to travel. The temperature is somewhere between 25degrees C. to 33 degrees C. High areas are of course less hotter as compared to areas in the coastal region. The temperature of the sea water can go up to 28 degree C. In the summer time the sun rises at 5.00 and sets at 7.00 pm.