Mascarene Tropical Forest Islands bioregion

The Mascarene bioregion, located in the Afrotropical realm, is an archipelago of islands in the Indian Ocean just east of Madagascar, which includes Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues, plus a variety of reefs, atolls, and small islands. Due to its unique soil and climate, it has an incredibly diverse flora with over 1000 native species, hundreds of which are endemic. The bioregion is dominated by one ecoregion – Mascarene Forests [1] – which include a diverse range of rainforests, cloud forests, swamp forest, and lowland dry forests. Mauritius was the former habitat of the now extinct dodo bird, and many other exotic birds. The islands are surrounded by approximately 750 square km of coral reefs. Total area of the islands is approximately 500,000 hectares, not including reefs and adjacent marine areas.

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