Environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs)
The ecological degradation of the coastal areas of Mauritius being at a rather advanced stage, it is crucial to mobilize all stakeholders, state, owners, businesses, communities, NGOs and citizens towards the protection and restoration of environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs).
Mauritius has the privilege of holding a full scientific report and a proposed bill (the ESA Bill) aiming at the protection of the sensitive areas, following a full and large-scale audit on the whole territory carried out by Dr. D. S. Hammond of NWFS Consultancy. However, the authorities have never benefited from this colossal work carried out in 2008.
mru2025 is a co-signatory of a manifesto in favour of the adoption of the ESA Bill and collaborates with the NGO Eco-Sud, initiator of the manifesto to push citizens, the private sector and other stakeholders to ask for the adoption of the bill after some adaptation. In addition, in its focused initiatives, mru2025 often makes reference to the survey on ESAs to request revisions of projects, file disputes with the court or request revocations of permits and environmental impact certificates (EIA).
Apart from ecologically fragile or sensitive areas, the scarcity of common (spaces) in Mauritius, in relation to its population, makes all public areas sensitive de facto. It is in this sense that mru2025 wishes to focus its advocacy and its awareness campaigns by inviting the governing bodies, regulators and regional authorities to an optimized, sustainable and more equitable management of the commons.
Useful documentation
– ESA bill
