Total Harmony In Management

The managers of protected marine areas in Saint Eustatius (STENAPA), Saba (Marine Park), Saint Barth (Territorial Environmental Agency), Sint Maarten (Nature Foundation) and Saint Martin (Réserve Naturelle) met in Saint Martin during the last week of May for a technical workshop organized by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRNN) and the CAR-SPAW, organizations which intervene regularly with their partners. The theme of this new training centered on the technical standards for the biophysical study of coral reefs, as well as the related socio-economic elements. The question was to know how to evaluate the health of a reef and its associated species, as well as how to study the various uses —social and cultural— and economic activities that rely on the existence of the reef. One concrete example concerns the small island of Pinel and its underwater pathway, which is followed closely by the Réserve. Questions: how do the inhabitants of the neighborhood closest to Cul-de-Sac perceive this site? What activities are associated with it? And what does it mean for the economic players that have a business on Pinel? Two teams then went out into the field. The first team went diving along the underwater pathway while the second team went to meet the residents of Cul-de-Sac, as well as concerned business people. The idea of the training was to help create an approach to identify conflicts or miscomprehensions, or suggest improvements to the management of the sites, with an eye to sustainable development and a harmonization of techniques. A deeper study will take place in coming years to put the best practices into effect, and adapt them to the management of the site.