Wildlife of
Comoros

Primary Threats

• Native forests on Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Moheli have been heavily reduced and fragmented by conversion to smallholder fields and agroforestry, cutting for fuelwood/charcoal, and settlement expansion. This particularly affects moist montane forest remnants (critical for endemic birds, bats, and reptiles) and increases edge effects and fire risk.
• Farming expands upslope onto steep volcanic soils (notably on Anjouan), driving clearance of remaining forest patches and accelerating erosion and landslides. Cash-crop agroforestry (e.g., ylang-ylang, cloves, vanilla) can retain some tree cover but often replaces diverse native forest and increases harvesting pressure for fuel and poles.
• Wood extraction is largely for domestic energy and construction rather than industrial timber, but the cumulative impact is significant: selective cutting and frequent harvesting reduce forest structure, degrade watersheds feeding coastal reefs, and diminish habitat for endemics with small ranges.
• High reliance on biomass energy (fuelwood/charcoal) and limited alternative energy options intensify pressure on forests. In coastal areas, depletion also includes local declines in nearshore fish and invertebrates that support subsistence and small-scale commercial fisheries.
• Nearshore reefs and lagoonal habitats (especially around Moheli and Anjouan) are heavily fished with increasing effort and, in some places, damaging gears. Declines in reef fish and invertebrates reduce food security and undermine reef resilience, and bycatch can affect turtles and other megafauna.
• Limited solid-waste collection and wastewater treatment leads to plastic accumulation, open dumping, and untreated sewage entering coastal waters near towns (e.g., around Moroni). This degrades reefs and seagrass, increases disease risk for coral, and affects turtle nesting beaches.
• Rising sea temperatures drive coral bleaching and reduce reef recovery potential; sea-level rise and stronger storms increase erosion of narrow nesting beaches and coastal infrastructure exposure. Shifts in rainfall patterns can intensify drought-water stress and erosion in already-degraded watersheds.
• Introduced predators and competitors (notably rats and feral cats; plus invasive plants in disturbed zones) impact nesting birds, reptiles, and potentially bat roost sites. On small islands with limited refugia, invasive species can quickly eliminate localized populations.
• Wildlife take is typically local and opportunistic but can be significant for small populations: fruit bats may be hunted for food, and sea turtles can be targeted for meat and eggs where beach protection is weak or seasonal enforcement lapses.
• Trade is not large-scale compared with some regions, but there are risks of illegal collection/transport of protected species or products (e.g., turtle products) and removal of marine curios, facilitated by porous maritime routes between islands and neighboring countries.
• Alteration of coastal habitats-mangrove cutting for wood, modification of shorelines, and degradation of reef structure from combined stressors-reduces nursery areas for fish and buffers against storms. On land, repeated burning and clearing cycles convert forest to degraded shrub/grass mosaics.
• Road expansion, quarrying for construction materials, and coastal development around towns and ports increase habitat fragmentation and sediment runoff to reefs. Poorly managed drainage on steep slopes can trigger gullying and landslides that smother nearshore corals.
• Growth of Moroni and other settlements increases demand for fuelwood, land, and sand/aggregate, and concentrates waste streams. Urban sprawl into peri-urban agriculture and hillsides also accelerates erosion and localized flooding.
• Many endemic species occur in small, isolated forest fragments or single-island populations, making them vulnerable to inbreeding, genetic drift, and rapid loss of adaptive potential after cyclones, eruptions (e.g., Karthala), or disease outbreaks.
• Small, stressed wildlife populations are vulnerable to introduced pathogens (e.g., poultry-associated diseases affecting wild birds, or emerging diseases in bats), and degraded water quality can increase disease pressure in nearshore marine ecosystems.