Collaboration between reserves
Like every year, the Réserve Naturelle’s team of deep-sea divers lent a hand to their colleagues in Petite Terre (Guadeloupe) and Saint-Barthélemy, as part of their annual check-up on the health of the coral communities and underwater seagrass beds. Aude Berger visited in Petite Terre from October 3-6, 2022 and Julien Chalifour was in Saint-Barth on October 17-21, 2022. This allowed them to count numbers of fish, estimate the extent of coral formations, and other living species, as well as check on the diversity and the density of the seagrass beds and associated fauna. Unfortunately, this operation did not take place in Saint Martin in 2022, due to scheduling and unfavorable conditions at sea, as well as a shortage of professional divers as part of the management team. This operation will be scheduled for 2023, with the support of its partners.