Two stands of mature evergreen wet forest in Mauritius (Mascarene Islands) were sampled for floristic composition to assess the extent of invasion by weedy exotic phanerogams (Brise Fer, 550 m alt.; Bon Courage, 200–260 m alt.). All individuals ≥ 2.5 cm dbh were recor ded in 50×2 m transects totalling 0.1 ha at each site, and 2×2 m seedling plots totalling 40 m were also sampled at each site. Both forests showed a high degree of invasion. Although exotics constituted only 5% of woody species ≥ 2.5 cm dbh at Brise Fer and 14.5% at Bon Courage, they comprised 34.8% and 20.8% of the individuals, respectively. Seedling plots at both sites were dominated by exotics, which comprised 20.6% of the species and 97.4% of the individuals at Brise Fer, and 22.2% of the species and 73.9% of the individuals at Bon Courage. Comparisons are made with Macabé forest, sampled nearly 50 years ago. These data suggest that unless steps are taken to check the spread of exotics, floristic composition at these sites will shift towards total invasion and degradation as has occurred elsewhere on Mauritius.

The Rodrigues fruit bat Pteropus rodricensis is endemic to Rodrigues Island, the smallest of the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. The species is categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. A study between February 2001 and February 2002 identified 10 roosts, four previously unrecorded. Roost sites were located in the north and south of the island, all within forested valleys. Sixteen counts of each roost site, evenly spaced throughout the study period, showed dramatic changes in individual colony numbers, suggesting movement between roosts. Simultaneous counts of all colonies resulted in a minimum population estimate of 5,076, which is substantially higher than previous estimates of the species. This is believed to be due to a population increase since the last count, newly identified roosts and the movement of bats into different areas, allowing more accurate counts to be made.

Abstract The conservation status of the five genera and 11 species of palm endemic to the Mascarene Islands (Mauritius, La Réunion and Rodriques) are reviewed. All species are threatened with extinction; nine taxa are classified as Critically Endangered and four as Endangered on the 2000 IUCN Red List. Two taxa survive as single wild specimens (Hyophorbe amaricaulis and Dictyosperma album var. conjugatum); an additional seven taxa have wild populations of 100 or fewer. Although the historical phase of large-scale forest clearance has passed, the remaining palm populations in the Mascarenes are under threat from the effects of population fragmentation, invasive plants and animals, and high levels of seed predation that prevent natural regeneration. The advantages of in situ management for the recovery of these palm populations are discussed. Without a long-term conservation programme, utilising both in situ and ex situ management, extinction of wild populations will occur.