Mauritius

Mauritius is a small island developing state with important terrestrial and marine biodiversity. Its ecosystems include native forests, wetlands, islets, lagoons, coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves and coastal areas. These ecosystems support livelihoods, tourism, fisheries, agriculture, coastal protection, climate resilience and national heritage. 

At the same time, biodiversity in Mauritius faces continued pressure from land-use change, invasive alien species, pollution, coastal and marine degradation, climate change and competing demands on public resources. Biodiversity conservation therefore depends not only on technical planning, but also on whether adequate and sustainable financing can be identified, prioritised and mobilised. 

At present, biodiversity finance in Mauritius is mainly supported through public sector budget allocations, project-based grants, development partner support, and some sectoral or regulatory mechanisms. However, Mauritius does not yet have a consolidated and up-to-date picture of how much is being spent on biodiversity, what the financing gaps are, and which finance solutions could realistically be implemented. 

BIOFIN Mauritius is currently at an early start-up stage. Full technical implementation has not yet started. The project is expected to support the Government and national partners through the BIOFIN methodology, namely the Policy and Institutional Review, Biodiversity Expenditure Review, Financial Needs Assessment, and Biodiversity Finance Plan. 

These assessments will help clarify the current biodiversity finance landscape, identify financing gaps, and develop practical finance solutions suited to the Mauritian context. The work is expected to support the implementation of the updated national biodiversity agenda and strengthen the link between biodiversity priorities, public finance, institutional coordination and resource mobilisation.