National parks and biodiversity preservation
The marine natural park of Mayotte, created in 2010, is a vast protected area that includes integral reserves. It is home to endangered species such as the dugong, the hawksbill turtle, or the white crab. The park's mission is to protect these ecosystems by regulating human activities (including fishing), supporting actions to restore natural environments, but also supporting sustainable industries and research on marine ecosystems. Awareness-raising is also a key component of the park's actions, which is deployed towards all stakeholders (inhabitants, professionals, visitors).
Preventing pollution
The territory suffers from significant pollution of its wetlands (rivers, mangroves, lagoons). The observatory of the marine park has highlighted a rate of waste equivalent to 8 kg for 100 meters of beach, mainly plastic. The bodies of stranded turtles have revealed a mortality linked to the ingestion of waste. Failures in terms of waste management (pre-collection, collection and treatment) contribute to this situation. The collection and treatment of wastewater also remain insufficient. Faced with this observation, associations intervene to sensitize inhabitants and visitors of the island by actions of collection of waste. Thus, an association has initiated "rando-clean" on the territory, which allows to combine eco-citizenship and physical activity.
Restore natural environments
Natural environments also suffer from the change in land use. Urbanization and the expansion of agricultural land, combined with certain practices (slash-and-burn), contribute to the destruction of natural habitats and the loss of biodiversity. Deforestation is problematic in some parts of the territory, where mangroves have regressed by 25%. These ecosystems constitute a reservoir of biodiversity and a protection of the coasts against climatic hazards. Faced with this observation, replanting actions have been launched in the mangroves but also in the deforested areas, the "padzas".
The crucial issue of water
Mayotte has limited water resources. Drinking water supply depends on two hillside reservoirs for 80% of its supply. In 2017, the island suffered a severe water shortage, forcing rationing. To avoid new emergencies, the State has planned the deployment of a number of measures, ranging from the interconnection of water reservoirs to the awareness of all stakeholders, individuals, industrialists and farmers. The country's population growth and climate change could make the issue of water even more important in the future.
Facing climate change
Mayotte is particularly vulnerable to climate change. This could lead to greater frequency and intensity of extreme events (droughts, floods). It is particularly threatened by the rise in sea level. In addition, a phenomenon of subsidence, related to the formation of an underwater volcano, which caused in 2019 a subsidence of the island. The stagnation of certain waters could also contribute to the development of vector-borne diseases, by promoting the presence of breeding grounds. Faced with the situation, strong actions are necessary. The territory has set objectives for the production of renewable energy, but the choice of setting up a solar power plant on a nesting site of threatened species contravenes the preservation of biodiversity.
