A New App To Identify Local Flora And Fauna

Action PA6

• Raise public awareness about the goals of the Reserve and our natural heritage

Using the Obsidentify app, it is now possible to automatically identify wild species of local flora and fauna, thanks to a new dedicated module. Created by the Dutch Caribbean Nature Association (DCNA) for all of the Dutch Caribbean islands—Sint Maarten, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao—the app is free and available in several languages.

Solicited to promote this new app, as other associations have been, the management association for the Réserve Naturelle organized a hike on February 13, 2023 at the Baie de l’Embouchure, Galion beach, and the Etang des Salines d’Orient, in order to demonstrate the app to the public.

The idea is to take a photo of a plant or an animal, and allow the algorithm to make an identification as close as possible as to the species (which will then be validated by an expert) and eventually create a personal digital catalogue that remains in your online memory, including the date and location of the identifications. This information is available to share, including with scientists.

Obsidentify is an iterative app, which will be enriched over time, as the multiplication of observations is necessary to increase the database.