Vikash Tatayah has two roles: Conservation Director and Assistant Treasurer at Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF). We have asked Vikash about his roles within the organization and about the precious endemic wildlife that he is trying to save from the brink of extinction. But above all, he has given us precious insight into his work in Mauritius and its surrounding islands. 

Vikash, can you tell us something about your role as a conservation director?

Yes, for sure. As a conservation director I am in charge of the conservation programs on Mauritius, Rodrigues and the offshore and outer islands that are surrounding us. Our core mission is to save native and endemic species from extinction. With our conservation programs, we try to make that happen. Right now, I have been working for the MWF for 26 years. I got to know the foundation through one of my undergraduate projects, where I chose to research an introduced mammal called the Madagascar tenrec. A couple of years later, a position became available, to which I applied. During the past years I have grown into the position that I have now. 

Can you also tell us a little bit about your position as an assistant treasurer?

If we look at my position as assistant treasurer, I should mention first that above my role as conservation director, there is also an executive director and a board, which is the management committee. A couple of years ago, the board decided they wanted to have staff members on the board, so that’s when I first became a board member and later the assistant treasurer. 

In this position, I have an insight into the finances of our organization and to make decisions based on that. For example, I am allowed to sign checks for our employees and suppliers. Whenever we have to buy things for our conservation projects, I am also there to check the financial status, see the quotes, seek clarification and to approve those costs. As there is at least one other check signatory, I am often one of them.  An expense also requires several levels of approvals.

For me, this position is quite important, because I am a scientist and not an accountant. By looking into the finances, I get an insight in what’s happening in the organization. I can now link the expenses to the right project, but I can also help the employees to improve their way of working. Everything between finances and conservation is linked, and that is great to dive into. 

What is the core mission of the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation? 

Saving the endangered wildlife from extinction is going to be the short answer to that. It doesn’t matter what it takes and how long it takes us to do that. The reason I’m saying this is because MWF has been here for nearly 40 years already. After all those years, we still haven’t gotten to our goal of saving the endangered wildlife from extinction, and that’s okay. We are still working on it. 

Recently, we created our 100- year vision, which has gotten us many comments already, as we will never outlive those 100 years ourselves. However, it is the most logical choice we can make, simply because the work we have to do will not be done in the next year or five years from now. 

Moreover, conservation is not getting any easier. Yes, there is more education on conservation and we have more people on the ground, but the general situation is getting worse. Climate change, deforestation, littering and development are just a few to name. Conservation is therefore getting a lot more difficult and challenging, so long term visions are needed. 

It sounds logical that conservation is not getting any easier nowadays. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation has been very successful though in the past decades. Can you tell us something more about the species that you already saved from extinction? 

Yes! We have done quite a number of things already, with mostly birds as our most renowned stories. We were able to save more birds from the brink of extinction than anywhere else in the world. That includes the Mauritius kestrel, echo parakeet and the pink pigeon. With those birds we took measures such as bringing eggs and chicks into captivity to breed with them, rearing them and then releasing them back in the wild.

Besides that, we have worked on reptiles from different islands. The ‘single island reptiles’, the ones that only lived on one specific island, were re-introduced to other islands as a security measurement for those species. 

There is an interesting story about another one of our projects. On the island here, we used to have two endemic species of tortoise. We have lost these endemic species unfortunately, but in terms of rewilding, we have now introduced a species called the Aldabra tortoise, which comes from the Seychelles. It fills up the void that was there and we hope it helps to sustain the ecosystem. 

Lastly, there are many species that we didn’t or couldn’t even document before their extinction. However, in total, we believe we have saved over a 100 species of plants on Mauritius and Rodrigues together. 

If we look at technology, do you think it will benefit you in the future for saving endangered species and ecosystems? 

It might sound cliché, but I think we have to use all the tools that we have in our toolbox, including technology. That does not mean that our current techniques are outdated, but we have to use technology constructively. The social media platforms that we know nowadays can be used for communication, awareness, sensitization, influencing and fundraising, but also moral support or even political support can be gained through these platforms.  

In the field, you can use drones, for example, to search through forests to search for species. We have used DNA techniques before, in which we made a genome map from the pink pigeon to find out which individuals are the most important for saving the species. We have also deployed recorders in the forest, through which we can now hear all the birds that live there. Using technology in such ways saves us a lot of time and helps us to achieve more. 

It is great that you can use both the decades of experience as well as new technologies in the field to save Mauritian nature. To dive in for a second; what are the most common threats for Mauritian wildlife?

The biggest threat that we currently face is development. We are a fairly developed country and day by day, development is encroaching into our forest. There is a lot of pressure to build (luxury) residential housing, also on locations that are still relatively pristine and untouched. Besides that, infrastructure is increasing, which is partly a result of increasing tourism. We expect to have 1.6 million visitors next year, which is 0.3 million more than we used to have before the pandemic. So that requires quite some residency buildings and infrastructure. Alongside that, invasive alien species are a huge problem that we are facing currently. 

The thing with these threats is that they threaten all animals and plants in the same ecosystem. On the one hand, there is commonality in the threats we face, but on the other hand the action that we can take to mitigate the threats is also a commonality. Ecosystem restoration is therefore extremely valuable and something that we often focus on. Although species are the building blocks that we need to save, saving an ecosystem is very effective as well. 

An interesting topic for many conservation projects is funding. Your website shows that you have quite some organizations supporting you. Can you tell us something more about that? 

Funding has been an important part of our conservation efforts and we can’t work without it. In the past couple of years, we have tried to diversify our sources of funding. Previously, we were heavily dependent on one source, but nowadays, we have zoos, universities and private companies that support us. 

Besides that, we have our own ecotourism projects, which raises about 20 to 25 percent of our funds. We also apply for grants with other funds and organizations, which has been quite successful for us. We also  have corporate social responsibility (CSR) from the private sector directly or indirectly through government. Each profitable company in Mauritius has to pay a 2% CSR tax. Charity organizations like us can apply to this collected CSR and so far, we have gotten funds for several years. 

Let’s not forget that it takes a lot of management to have so many different forms of funding. A lot of companies and funders want to be involved more. It used to be a simple check with which you could run your projects, but nowadays delivering updates, newsletters, talks or activities are more common. So, you have to put a lot of work in to get the funds. That’s why we currently have four people working on funding. 

That sheds a good light on the concept of fundraising. It is doable and you seem to have mastered it very well, but people should not forget that behind the scenes a lot of effort goes into it. If we look once more at the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, what is something that not many people know? 

There are some interesting facts, actually. One thing many people don’t know is the foundations’ background. Many people assume that we are an international organization. Sometimes we are even linked to WWF, as the Mauritius branch of them. None of that is actually true. Most people in our senior positions are Mauritians, Rodriguand or long term residents from here. That is definitely a fact that we are now trying to bring across to the public. 

Another thing that I want to mention again, is that we have been very successful with landbirds, which is why people often think that is the core (or perhaps the only) thing we do. They don’t recognize that we have done a lot of work on reptiles, plants, insects and seabirds as well. 

You have quite a long list of projects and species that you are working on. Is there a specific species or project that is extra special to you personally?

I love all the projects that we work on, naturally. Some were even started before I was born. One species that has become special to me over time is the Mauritius kestrel. It almost became extinct in 1974, when it was the rarest bird in the world. Only four of them were left, with just one breeding female. Nowadays, we have 300 to 400 flying around, so our conservation actions were extremely successful. 

The reason why this species is so dear to me has to do with their current status as a National Bird. I made this proposal last year in December, thinking it would take us years to make it happen. It was a matter of weeks. Just two, actually. Then it was declared a national bird for Independence Day on the 12th of March. 

That is an amazing achievement. Congratulations! This sounds like an example of what makes your work worthwhile. What else drives you to do the work you do? 

I love it! First of all, it is an immense sense of satisfaction. Yes, it is difficult and challenging, and sometimes you think: “How am I going to do this?” But, it would be boring otherwise. The second thing is that when I look back 26 years, at both myself and the organization, I can see where we came from and what we have achieved so far. Even though I forget it myself sometimes, hearing people say “You’ve done a great job on the pigeon” is enough to bring that sense of satisfaction to me. 

When I pass away, I hope my kids walk in the forest, see a pigeon and think “Hey, my dad did something to save them”. Doing this work creates an environment including pigeons and rare plant species. I don’t do it for myself, but for future generations.  

What are the things that people can do themselves for the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation? 

There is one classic example–donating. But, for us, there are a number of things that are helpful. First of all, get to know more about wildlife and become concerned. As a consumer we have so many choices every single day, and it is up to you to decide where your food comes from, how it is processed and how sustainable it is for this planet. 

If you are able to visit Mauritius, please visit us. I can talk, but it is more effective to show you around so you can see what we do. If you decide to invest or donate, I want you to be convinced of what you invest in. That it is worth it. We want to educate the people visiting on what we do. One of those things is the problem we have faced between people and fruit bats. The fruit bats were being culled as they eat the fruit harvest, but with MWF we are taking crucial steps to solve this problem. 

If you are currently in your BSc, you are also welcome to apply to volunteer with us. You will get amazing experiences out of it and it can be a great stepping stone in your career. 

Lastly, awareness, education and sensitization are very helpful. If you cannot visit the islands, there is surely a way you can help. For example, liking our social media posts or responding to them. If you know anything about a conservation project in your region, with problems or species similar to ours, sharing knowledge on that conservation topic will always be helpful to us and to what we do. Sharing that knowledge is extremely effective in helping us. 

As you said, more and more tourists come to the islands. In some cases – for example with revenue streams – that will be positive, though sometimes it also influences wildlife in a bad way. There are quite some ecotours and projects mentioned on MWF’s website. How do they contribute to conservation? 

In several ways, actually. First of all, it comes back to money. An important detail about this money is that it is unattached. A lot of funds that we get are linked to a specific project, but when a tourist comes, that excess money (everything that remains after calculating the costs of their visit) can be used for the project that needs it the most. 

Coming back to what I said earlier, these tours give us the opportunity to let people discover nature themselves. Once people love nature here, they will love nature everywhere. Hopefully they will spread that love for nature with the people they know, therefore creating a ripple effect. 

Lastly, it helps with employability. We employ about a dozen people in the ecotours. Many of them only stay with us for a couple of years and then continue to another job. There, they talk about us and what we do. So besides helping them with their employment, it contributes to our goal of spreading the message as well. 

The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation is diverse, renowned for their expertise and an extremely valuable foundation for Mauritian nature. Check out their website if you want to learn more about what they do. And, as Vikash said himself: “There is always a way of contributing.” Check out their social media and let them know you read this article–anything you can do is of great importance for their organization.

Website: www.mauritianwildlifefoundation.org

Instagram: @mauritianwildlife

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-mauritian-wildlife-foundation/