The Maïdo, located in the heart of the National Park at an altitude of 2,200 metres, is an iconic site on Réunion Island offering breathtaking views of the Mafate cirque. This site is home to a tropical high-altitude habitat that is unique in the world, but unfortunately seriously threatened by the spread of an invasive exotic species that is transforming the landscape, the European gorse, Ulex europaeus. This species is one of the 100 most invasive species in the world and is listed as an invasive exotic plant in Réunion by the Mascarin National Botanical Conservatory and on the list established by the IUCN French Committee. Nevertheless, in the extension of Maïdo, within an area called ‘the Bénares triangle’, it is still possible to observe this exceptional habitat untouched by any disturbance.
Maïdo (from the Malagasy word for ‘burnt earth’) is repeatedly affected by fires, and this risk is likely to intensify in the coming years with the consequences of climate change. However, burnt land is favourable for the spread of European gorse, with a risk of this species spreading towards the Bénares triangle. It therefore seems worthwhile, after a fire, to implement measures to help the high-altitude environment regenerate and to limit the spread of gorse towards the sensitive area of the Bénares triangle.
Therefore, based on the latest fire at Maïdo in November 2020, it was proposed to carry out a ‘post-fire ecological regeneration pilot project at Maïdo’, with three complementary objectives:
- To experiment with methods of regenerating the environment in order to develop a post-fire intervention protocol and thus improve responsiveness in implementing control and restoration actions after a fire in sensitive areas (particularly the Bénares triangle and gorse invasion fronts);
- Increase the pressure to combat European gorse in order to improve the heritage value of the iconic Maïdo site;
- Mobilise civil society around the challenges of preserving Réunion’s high-altitude heritage in order to raise awareness of the exceptional and fragile nature of this unique biodiversity.
Duration: 24 months
