It is an area closed off to the public, in the Black River Gorge region, which is densely forested, and is used for breeding rare, endemic Mauritian species.

Among the endangered species in the sanctuary is the Mauritius kestrel, once the rarest bird in the world with only 4 members left.

The sanctuary is named after naturalist Gerald Durrell, who was associated with Mauritius' conservation movement from its inception in the 1970s, and who adopted the extinct Mauritian dodo as the logo for his Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, now Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

The sanctuary has contributed to the recovery of the population of the pink pigeon, by hosting birds for captive breeding.

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