The Mauritian Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZmap) of Mauritius extends over
an area of 1.9 km2, and holds a huge diversity of organisms,
some of which with immense potential for exploitation, and could
play a vital role in the economic development of Mauritius.
Exploitation of a resource, if not properly managed, can lead
to negative impacts on the ecosystem whereby other species can
be affected. In order to mitigate such impacts it is essential
to have an exact understanding of the waters. This can be achieved
through research. However data the marine organisms are scattered.
The database will also help identify the gaps that exist in
our knowledge of the diversity of our waters, and prioritse
research in the future. The database will also provide a baseline
to use for comparison of results of future monitoring work.
Diversity of marine
organisms in Mauritian Waters
Evolution
of life in the oceans started about 2.7 billion years before that
in terrestrial environment, which explains the rich diversity
of marine organisms. About 40 phyla of organisms are represented
in the oceans, of which about 15 are exclusively marine. Difficult
access and high costs to undertake research in the oceans are
the major causes that marine biodiversity is poorly known compared
to its terrestrial realm.
Database of marine organisms
in Mauritian Waters
Datasheet containing information on taxonomic hierarchies, synonyms,
distribution, habitat and bibliographical references. Missing
information can be added as more data are made available.
Mauritius Meteorological Services
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
ODINAFRICA
Government of Flanders
International Oceanogrphic Data and Information Exchange
