Between 2021 and 2022, the harvested area under cultivation of sugarcane decreased by 6.4% from 41,897 hectares to 39,199 hectares; tea plantation decreased from 669 hectares in 2021 to 659 hectares in 2022; and food crops decreased by 2.9% from 8,004 hectares to 7,770 hectares.
In 2022, the Island of Mauritius received 4,105 million cubic metres of water rainfall, 8.7% higher when compared to 3,776 million cubic metres in 2021.
Total water utilisation was estimated at 1,064 million cubic metres in 2022. Hydropower accounted for 40%, the domestic, industrial and tourism sector for 31% and the remaining 29% was used by the agricultural sector.
Complaints attended by the Pollution Prevention and Control Division of the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change increased by 9.9% from 689 in 2021 to 757 in 2022.
The complaints were mainly due to: other complaints including backfilling, erosion, illegal construction amongst others (33%), noise (18%), bare land (12%) and air pollution (11%)
GHG emissions increased by 3.1% from 2021 to 2022. Gross emissions went up from 5,472 to 5,642 thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent and net emissions, after absorption by forest and land use practices from 5,136 to 5,308 thousand tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent.
In 2022, the energy sector accounted for the largest share of emissions (78.3%), followed by the waste sector (10.8%).
Preservation of forests is vital for the protection of the ecosystem. Total forest area decreased by 4 hectares from 47,006 hectares in 2021 to 47,002 hectares in 2022. Some 22,002 hectares (46.8%) of the total forest area in 2022 was state-owned and the remaining 25,000 hectares (53.2%) was privately-owned.
Out of the 22,002 hectares of state-owned forest area, 11,771 hectares (53.5%) were planted areas, while the Black River Gorges National Park and the nature reserves accounted for 6,574 (29.9%) and 799 (3.6%) hectares respectively. “Pas Geometriques” covered about 588 hectares (2.7%), other nature parks, 908 hectares (4.1%), Ramsar sites, 46 hectares (0.2%) and other forest lands, 1,316 hectares (6.0%).
The 25,000 hectares of privately-owned forest lands consisted of 18,447 (73.8%) hectares of plantation, forest lands, scrub and grazing lands, and 6,553 (26.2%) hectares of mountain, rivers and nature reserves.
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