Ensuring environmental communication, awareness, and education

Action PA6 : Raise public awareness about the objectives of the RNN (Réserve Naturelle Nationale) and natural heritage

Action PA8 : Participate in local events

National Resilience Day was celebrated in Saint Martin on October 7, 2023, along the Marigot waterfront, at an animation village created on the initiative of the prefecture. The concept of resilience, often invoked in the field of psychology, describes the remarkable ability of an individual or a system to rebuild and regain its original balance following upheavals or crises. In nature, resilience characterizes the ability of an ecosystem to absorb disturbances, to regenerate, and to return to normal and balanced functioning after having suffered a disruptive event. Requested to animate a booth, the AGRNSM presented several of the actions it has carried out following major events – hurricanes, coral bleaching, pollution – to ensure the conservation of the island’s natural heritage. The objective being to fuel public awareness of the interdependence of nature and society on our small island, Julien Chalifour and Vincent Oliva discussed with the public the issues related to these major events, the role of observing the health of habitats and species, the actions of restoration and public awareness aimed at overcoming these incidents. For them, it was about highlighting the fact that a healthy environment guarantees the quality of our living environment and contributes to the safety of the population. Thus, a dense and healthy mangrove significantly attenuates the destructive energy of cyclonic swell and also protects the coastline and its homes.

Action PA5 : Conduct educational interventions in schools

Born in 2012 in the Marquesas archipelago from an idea by elementary school students, the “Educational Marine Area” (AME) initiative has flourished throughout French territory. In Saint Martin, the Nature Reserve embraced this concept in 2018, allowing three classes to take charge of their own marine area. This program, supported by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), promotes an ecological approach and encourages students to get involved in the management and preservation of the marine environment. Thus, students take responsibility for a part of their natural heritage by actively engaging in its protection and management. For example, a CM1 class from Clair Saint-Maximin school studies marine turtles and their nesting sites in the Embouchure bay. The CE1 students from Happy School focus on marine turtles and the threats posed by human activities on the Grand Case beach. The CM2 students from the same school direct their scientific research towards the biodiversity of the coral reefs surrounding Creole Rock. Additionally, a sixth-grade class from the Roche Gravée de Moho college is involved in replanting mangroves near the nursery, on Spring Road.

Action PA5

• Achieve pedagogical interventions in the scholastic environment (priority 1)

Five classes from three schools are involved in the protection and management of the natural heritage of Educational Marine Zones: CM1 and CM2 classes from the Ecole Clair Saint-Maximin in French Quarter; CE1 and CM2 classes from the Happy School in Grand-Case; and a sixth-grade class from the Roche Gravée de Moho Middle School, French Quarter.

The middle-school class participated in the replanting of mangroves from the nursery run by the Réserve Naturelle along the Spring path, on the edge of the Etang aux Poissons. The same school also created a Terrestrial Educational Zone with a second sixth-grade class, on the site of the famous indigenous petroglyph Moho rock drawing. This class benefitted from a presentation about the history of this Pre-Colombian site by archeologist Christophe Hénocq. Another one of the many activities at Happy School is the creation of a fresco on a wall by the beach in Grand Case, where there is a QR code painted to allow access to an audio message to raise awareness about sea turtles and the dangers linked to human activities. The message was recorded by the students, in French and in English.

Ecole Clair Saint-Maximin worked on a diagnostic of the egg-laying site on the beach at the Baie de l’Embouchure. Plans are for the next Educational Marine Zones to be created in association with the Mont des Accords Middle School. The Réserve Naturelle serves as an advisor for all these activities, in the classroom and in the field.

Action PA1

• Train commercial operators carrying out their activity on the reserve

52 commercial businesses, 29 French and 23 foreign— primarily daily boat rental companies and dive clubs—have authorization to work within the Réserve Naturelle. On January 10 & 11, a number of these businesses geared to tourism accepted an invitation to meet with agents of the Réserve. The meeting went well, the businesses shared their expectations and their challenges, and the agents answered their questions and explained the rules and best practices within the protected areas.

The French companies pay a fee of two euros per person/per day, and their foreign counterparts pay five euros. In 2022 these fees, used primarily for the installation and maintenance of buoys and moorings at such sites as Tintamarre, Pinel, and Rocher Créole, brought in 155,865 euros for the Réserve Naturelle.

Action PA6

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

Everyone now has the possibility to share their observations of the fauna in Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy on the platform faune-SBSM.org and the NaturaList app, where one finds the nature lovers of these islands. The site includes a page with news about the fauna of the French West Indies, as well as a gateway to the scientific world, and a database that will be enriched with the addition of everyone’s data. In the field, one simply needs to start the app to enter and transmit their data immediately. If there is no internet connection, the information can be synchronized for later posting. Observe and photograph birds, terrestrial and marine mammals, reptiles, amphibians, dragon flies, butterflies… and share. All the data is validated by a committee of experts whose primary goal is to best protect local species by raising awareness about them.
The Fauna-SBSM platform is coordinated by the French Society For The Protection of Birds (LPO) and financed by the BIODIV’OM LIFE project. It is managed in partnership with, among others, the Réserve Naturelle de Saint-Martin. The data collected in Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy is sent via the Faune-Antilles portal, which combines the entries from Martinique and Guadeloupe.

In February 2023, ornithologist Vincent Lemoine completed his inventory and monitoring project, which was presented in detail in the preceding issue of this journal. Tasked by the LPO as part of the BIODIV’OM LIFE project in Saint Martin, whose goals include the designation of a ZICO (Zone of interest for the conservation of birds), Lemoine’s goal was to map the species present on the island and create an inventory. His next report, which will list local species and indicate those species that need protection, will help define the zones of interest for the conservation of birds. All of Lemoine’s observations made on the island were entered on Faune Antilles.

A More Than Positive Report For The Education Department

In light of its final report for 2022, the Education Department can be proud of its continued growth in academic activities and public awareness. Sixteen schools, three training centers, three businesses, and eight associations, or a total 7,243 children and adults, benefitted from their awareness activities on site or in the field last year. Victim of its own success, the department had to refuse several new candidates who wanted to sign partnership agreements, including Eliane Clark Nursery School and Hervé Williams Elementary School, as well as classes from Aline Hanson Elementary School, the middle schools in French Quarter, Mont des Accords and Soualiga middle schools, and Robert Weinum high School. All of which already have working agreements with the Réserve Naturelle, which in turn provides free activities for their students. In the hopes of having one additional staffer, and in the event that the Collectivité wants to develop its competence in terms of the environment, the Réserve Naturelle has submitted an official request for the funds to recruit someone they will train for the job.

Sea Discovery Day

On November 16, 2022, 54 kids from under-privileged neighborhoods participated in Sea Discovery Day, which has been organized for several years by Métimer, the association for nautical professionals. This event allows the kids to discover sailing and the little island of Tintamarre, where Ashley Daniel and Brenton Larmonie, both on the staff of the Réserve Naturelle, taught them about the fragility of the eco-systems during a hike along the coast and on the interior of this magnificent protected site.

Nautical Professionals Trade Show

December 8 & 9, 2022 marked the date for the Nautical Professionals Trade Show at which middle school and high school students from 10th to 12th grade stopped by the stand run by the Réserve Naturelle. Aude Berger, Ashley Daniel, and Christopher Joe answered all of their questions and presented various environmental professionals to the youngsters, many of whom have been already been made aware of the importance of protecting nature through the Education Department.

The Roche Gravée de Moho Middle School in French Quarter

also now an Educational Marine Zone for the 2022/2023 school year. Their project is to revitalize the mangrove at Galion, by replanting saplings they will grow in their classroom, and others that were grown in the nursery within the Réserve Naturelle.

Students from Clair Saint-Maximin Elementary School,

part of the Educational Marine Zone at Galion for the past six years, are working on a diagnostic of the beach, or an evaluation of the sites where sea turtles lay their eggs, in order to determine if this beach is suitable for egg-laying by the turtles. The goal is to make local residents and professionals aware of the importance of protecting these reproductive sites.

Double Funding From Te Me Um

The 20,000 euros of funding allocated to the Réserve Naturelle by Te Me Um in 2021 for a project on “the reappropriation of Saint Martin’s natural heritage by its children,” allowed the Réserve to augment its teaching materials: activity notebooks for the students, baseball caps, T-shirts, and most importantly anatomic sculptures of several species on sharks, which are frequently used in classrooms. Te Me Um, a program designed to support the operations of the biodiversity sector in the French overseas islands, is backed by the French Office For Biodiversity (OFB). At the same time, a micro-project concerning the study of invasive exotic species has benefitted from a second grant from Te Me Um, for the sum of 4,300 euros. This will allow the Education Department to purchase a GPS, a new camera, digital tablets, and to print certain invasive exotic species in 3D.

EDF Guadeloupe Supports The Réserve

In 2022, the Réserve Naturelle signed a new agreement with EDF Guadeloupe for the organization of the “Fête de la Nature”, which features explorations of marine eco-systems and milieux. This agreement is matched by a donation of 3,000 euros, destined for the purchase of pedagogical materials, such as a 3D printer, which will facilitate the fabrication of small animal figurines—sea turtle, dolphin, conch—that the students will be able to paint and keep.

Agreement With The EDF Foundation

The EDF Foundation, whose objective is to support projects with a local impact, signed an agreement with the Réserve Naturelle, after the Réserve had submitted a dossier on the discovery of the coral reefs of Saint Martin. This donation, for the sum of 11,000 euros, will allow the Réserve to purchase new virtual reality masks, a camera with a 360° lens to create new videos, and new anatomic sculptures of sharks and other fish this time.

Two Exhibits At Grand-Case Airport
The Réserve Naturelle organized two exhibits at the Grand-Case airport in 2002. In January and February, in the check-in area, passengers were able to encounter marine mammals through a display of anatomic sculptures and kakemonos. And in the arrival hall, a presentation by Life BIODIV’OM informed travelers about the protection of two grouper species. In September and October, an exhibit in the departure hall was dedicated to coral reefs and their habitats, while there was a display about sea turtles in the arrival hall. At the end of September, both of these two exhibits will be on display again at the airport, as part of an event organized in conjunction with the Tourist Office and the Collectivité.

An American In Saint Martin

At the request of the Tourist Office, the Réserve Naturelle hosted an American journalist who wanted to discover Saint Martin beyond the beaches and off the beaten track, in order to better write about the undeveloped side of Saint-Martin, its salt ponds, its mangroves, and its rich bird life. At the Réserve office, she enjoyed a presentation led by the staff on the management and conservation of biodiversity. Then to get a real-life look at these topics, she went with the staff to visit the Baie de l’Embouchure, where she was able to see how easy it is to observe birds from the shore, and also understand the efforts put forth by the Réserve to restore the natural zones damaged by hurricane Irma, especially the creation of the mangrove plant nursery. She returned to the United States satisfied with her visit and surprised that these natural assets are rarely promoted in the press.

For the 2021-2022 school year, the pedagogical service of the Réserve Naturelle has selected subjects in keeping with the scientific service for its in-school activities, for which the two services regularly collaborate. The main subject is that of exotic invasive species, both vegetal and animal, and their impact on biodiversity and ecosystems, and in a larger sense the evolution of life on the planet. Information about these exotic invasive species that have been introduced to Saint Martin includes: where they came from, who introduced them to the island, and their history since the Amerindians. Other subjects range from marine mammals and sea turtles to sharks and ecosystems. The visits are adapted to the level of each class, from kindergarten through high school. Each class has four or five visits from the Réserve Naturelle and the students are asked to create and present a related project at the end of the school year.

Raphaël Dorville, a ninth grader at the French Quarter high school who had been a student in the first class for the educative marine zones in 2016—a CM1 class at the Clair Saint-Maximin school— spontaneously asked to do a discovery internship at the Réserve Naturelle, January 24-28, 2022. A demand that was very well received by the Réserve as well as by Jessica Sabas, her former teacher. The internship helps students discover the working world, share the daily tasks done by professionals, and benefit from a tangible experience.

200 New Workbooks

The workbooks created by the Réserve Naturelle in 2020 were a big hit with young students, and 200 additional copies will be reprinted thanks to 500 euros donated by Skyepharma. The 20 pages in these notebooks outline the elements of the Réserve Naturelle and are intended for fourth and fifth grade classes, in order to educate the kids about the environment and give them an awareness of the management and conservation of the biodiversity of Saint Martin.

The Réserve Teaches La Samanna Clients About Our Natural Heritage

At the request of the luxury hotel, La Samanna, the Réserve Naturelle will go on excursions with clients who want to learn more about the natural heritage of the island. The first excursion took place on December 21, 2021, with a boat tour around the small island of Tintamarre. Julien Chalifour and Vincent Oliva taught the visitors about various activities for the protection of the local biodiversity, especially sea turtles, birds, and sea plant beds in Baie Blanche.

Action CC8 Communicate about the missions and activities of the RNN in the media (Priority 1)

France 3 TV Focuses On The Réserve Naturelle

On November 2, 2021, the 19/20 program on France 3 consecrated 3.42 minutes to the Réserve Naturelle of Saint-Martin, in a reportage titled “Saint-Martin, Paradise Found For Sea Turtles.” After showing pretty images of turtles grazing on sea plants, the primary missions of the Réserve were covered, including shots of Franck Roncuzzi on Galion beach, where he was instructing a class about the importance of our natural heritage. Ashley Daniel and Christophe Joe, at work in the nursery, explained the role of the mangrove, where they have already replanted 5,000 small saplings. Then, Aude Berger explained in detail the scientific monitoring of sea turtles. A look at the Réserve’s regulations closed the segment, from the ban on fishing to the obligation of boats to use moorings and the payment of fees for professionals duly registered with the Réserve Naturelle: measures intended to revitalize the synergy between conservation of our biodiversity and use of the protected natural sites.

Reinforcing environmental education

In 2019, 26 classes were regularly taken on field trips to help raise their environmental awareness, a subject also taught in the schools. With this in mind, seven agreements were signed, with the French Quarter and Soualiga middle schools, the Robert Weinum high school, the professional high school, Happy School, Marie-Antoinette Richards school, Clair Saint-Maximim school, where two classes received the label “Educational Marine Area,” as assigned by the French Office for Biodiversity. A sixth grade class at the Soualiga middle school also benefits from this label. The idea for these students, with the advice of the Réserve, is to define priorities for the protection of the biodiversity at the site for which they are responsible and to apply a scholastic approach to real-world examples, for example the replanting of the mangroves. In addition, new agreements are in the works with the Émile Choisy, Siméone Trott, Élie Gibbs, and Lamartine schools. At the same time, the Réserve meets regularly with the students studying for their BAPAAT (Brevet d’aptitude professionnelle d’assistant animateur technicien). From January 7 through March 16, 2020, the date when the schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Réserve Naturelle led 74 academic interventions, including 12 in the field terrain, and visits to 10 schools for 37 classes, for a total students 740 students.In 2019, 26 classes were regularly taken on field trips to help raise their environmental awareness, a subject also taught in the schools. With this in mind, seven agreements were signed, with the French Quarter and Soualiga middle schools, the Robert Weinum high school, the professional high school, Happy School, Marie-Antoinette Richards school, Clair Saint-Maximim school, where two classes received the label “Educational Marine Area,” as assigned by the French Office for Biodiversity. A sixth grade class at the Soualiga middle school also benefits from this label. The idea for these students, with the advice of the Réserve, is to define priorities for the protection of the biodiversity at the site for which they are responsible and to apply a scholastic approach to real-world examples, for example the replanting of the mangroves. In addition, new agreements are in the works with the Émile Choisy, Siméone Trott, Élie Gibbs, and Lamartine schools. At the same time, the Réserve meets regularly with the students studying for their BAPAAT (Brevet d’aptitude professionnelle d’assistant animateur technicien). From January 7 through March 16, 2020, the date when the schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Réserve Naturelle led 74 academic interventions, including 12 in the field terrain, and visits to 10 schools for 37 classes, for a total students 740 students.

The Réserve selected nine themes for these presentations:

• Presentation of the Réserve, its role, and the jobs needed on a daily basis
• Various eco-systems
• Mangroves
• Flora and fauna
• Sea turtles
• Protection of groupers
• The mangrove nursery
• Planting of mangrove seedlings
• La pollution et ses conséquences

Virtual diving in the Réserve Naturelle

Accompanied by the NGO, Blue Finance, the Réserve Naturelle has launched a virtual reality project designed to allow the public to discover the underwater milieu that is protected. Equipped with virtual-reality helmets, participants find themselves submerged and surrounded by coral, sea grass beds, and can discover underwater flora and fauna as if they were actually diving. The event is itinerant and was hosted in its initial phase by the Hommage Hotel at Nettle Bay, then at SXM Music Festival, before being put on hold in early March with the confinement of the population. The goal of Blue Finance is to put its expertise and its experience to work in the financing of sustainable management for protected marine areas (MPA). It hopes to improve the management of at least 20 MPA’s by 2030, as well-managed, well-financed MPA’s are considered one of the most effective tools to reduce local threats to marine diversity.

In July and August, the rangers of the Réserve Naturelle, with the help of three scouts, completed the post-Irma cleanup of the islets of Tintamare, Caye Verte, and Pinel, the Froussards path, and the salt ponds. These scouts, from the Saint-Georges du Mans parish, were in Saint Martin on July 8-26, as part of a companion scouts program on a humanitarian trip from metropolitan France. Aged 18 to 19 years old, Louis Bourdin, Camille de Labbey, and Simon Avon filled 126 large garbage bags with trash and participated in the removal of heavy debris. On July 25, they had 14 young helpers who were in a trash management training program.

When the staff of the electric company, EDF Archipel Guadeloupe asked, the Réserve Naturelle organized an excursion in the Galion mangrove. This event, which took place on May 25 as part of the Fête de la Nature 2019, served to promote awareness of the diversity of the flora and fauna that exists in this often under-estimated milieu. This marshy coastal forest helps stabilize the land closest to the sea, purify runoff water, produce a large number of fish, crustaceans, and birds, and it represents the last rampart against bad weather conditions and the swell. The participants at the event were able to observe fish, crabs, and wading birds, as well as contribute to the task of collecting trash that is sadly left along the borders of this protected natural site. Hoping that the participants will now be ambassadors, and carry the message of awareness for a better understanding of the mangrove, an important asset that is part of the island’s natural heritage. The Réserve Naturelle is also pleased with the increased popularity of bird watching and the growing number of visitors attracted by the rich diversity of birdlife in Saint Martin.

Léa Bernier, age 14, a 9th grade student at Collège Descartes, intends to pursue a career in environmental affairs. She made a first step in this direction on February 25-March 1, at the Réserve Naturelle, where she completed the sequence of observation in a professional milieu that is obligatory for all 9th graders. She primarily participated in the scientific study of the birds in the salt ponds and was taught how to count the different species.

A crew from Ushuaia TV visited Saint Martin in late January to shoot a segment on the consequences of hurricane Irma, which the producers referred to as “an unprecedented experience: climatic change”. Titled “Under The Chaos, The Beach,” the program was broadcast on Saturday June 23 and Thursday, June 28, and will remain accessible on the Ushuaia TV website. The Réserve Naturelle was called upon for the environmental section of the program. Julien Chalifour, Chris Joe, Ashley Daniel and Vincent Oliva took the video crew to Pinel, Tintamare, and Rocher Créole, aboard the boat belonging to the Réserve. They also took them under the waves, for an underwater shoot at the Remorqueur site on Tintamare.