Action MS38 Participer aux réunions, maintenir et renforcer les partenariats avec les réseaux nationaux

The Réserve Naturelle at the World Conservation Congress

Organized every four years by the IUCN, the World Conservation Congress is one of the most important events in support of biodiversity. On September 3-11, 2021 in Marseille, 13,000 organizations and 160 nations participated. Saint Martin was represented by Nicolas Maslach, le director of the Réserve Naturelle, with Pascal Alix Laborde, president of the territorial council’s environmental commission, and Lola Perez, assistant in the office of president Gibbs. The Collectivity and the Réserve worked hand-in-hand to present all of the assets of Saint Martin and its projects. The director of the Réserve made three presenations: the first, in English, was on exotic invasive marine species such as the lionfish (Pterois volitans) and Halophila stipulacea algae, and the Réserve’s efforts to control them. Next, invited by Génération Mer, the “community that fights so that the ocean remains a global assest for humanity,” as part of the environmental awareness and educational activities created by reserves and marine parks, Maslach presented the Réserve’s pedagogical department’s projects, as well as the plans for the Caribbean Institute for insular Biodiversity (ICBI), whose goals include improving knowledge by way of its research and innovation center. That presentation was followed by the signature of the Réserve’s membership to Génération Mer. Finally, Maslash moderated a confernce open to the publc on marine mammals and notably humpback whales.