An invading species that’s not necessarily harmful

Halophilia stipulacea © Julien Chalifour

A new species is slowly invading the sea grass beds and the Reserve is concerned about the consequences of this silent invasion. Introduced via boat anchors, Halophilia stipulacea, is pushing its way in over Syringodium and Thalassia. In Guadeloupe and the Saintes, this new species has taken over almost completely, but this invasion is not necessarily negative. Halophilia stipulacea is apparently very popular with the fish that digest it easily and it could also stabilize sediment. A research mission has been launched, and will be conducted over six months by an intern doing his 2nd year Masters at the University of Corte, in Corsica. Starting from the end of February, the student will work on mapping out the relevant sites and defining the extent of the phenomenon. He will endeavor to come up with monitoring methods to find out if Halophilia spreads or regresses, and which animals consume it.

All articles from: Newsletter-19

Better Knowledge About Protected Areas And Protected Species

1 : Edito - The track record, 15 years later
2 : The Îles du Nord are highly frequented by marine mammals
3 : The marine mammals showed up
4 : Tracking whales to get to know them better
5 : A «sponge» workshop
6 : 360-degree panoramic reef films
7 : A very rare lizard discovered at Tintamare
8 : An invading species that’s not necessarily harmful
9 : An artificial reef to help rescue larvae
10 : Lion fish and ciguatera
11 : Gaia was saved thanks to the Reserve
13 : The destruction of ruins is in sight
14 : Dry toilets on Pinel
15 : The Nature Reserve and Conservatoire’s projects for 2014
16 : Police actions
17 : Further pollution in the Grand Etang
18 : Anti-theft anchorages at Pinel
19 : Caribbean recognition for the mangrove trail
20 : A bright future for Daniel Lewis
21 : Exchange of good practices in Galion
22 : AGOA represented by the Saint-Martin Nature Reserve
23 : IMPAC 3 : an event not to be missed
24 : Saint-Martin pays a visit to Réunion
25 : The Reserve follows the whales in Martinique
26 : The Reserve travels to Corpus Christi
27 : Press Review

Réserve Naturelle Nationale de Saint-Martin

Lot 11 et 13 Rue Barbuda, Hope Estate, 97150 Saint Martin
Gestion : +59 0690 889 909

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Reserve.Naturelle.StMartin

Direction :
direction@rnsm.org

Pôle scientifique :
06 90 34 77 10 science@rnsm.org

Partenaires techniques et financiers de la Réserve naturelle

Partenaires techniques et financiers de la Réserve naturelle :
Préfecture de Saint-Barthélemy et de Saint-Martin, Direction de l’environnement, de l’aménagement et du logement (DEAL), Collectivité de Saint-Martin, CAR-SPAW, Agence des aires marines protégées, IFRECOR, TE ME UM

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