Optimizing management means

Action MS4 : Implement new management or conservation measures related to the protection of natural heritage

On November 13, 2023, the management association of the Saint-Martin natural reserve invited about twenty operators from the French side to a meeting in its premises. The entire reserve staff welcomed these commercial players for an open dialogue on the importance of complying with the current regulations, whose sole purpose is environmental protection. This initiative is part of a similar approach conducted on October 26, where commercial companies operating in the Dutch part of the island were invited to a similar exchange. The objective of these meetings is twofold: to strengthen communication between the reserve and economic operators, and to reaffirm the joint commitment to the preservation of Saint-Martin’s unique environment.

Action MS15 : Provide technical and legal training for the staff of the NR

Aude Berger, Alexina Paya, and Clément Bonnardel have completed an extensive training in professional first aid, level PSE1 (First Aid in Team level 1). This essential training was provided by the French Association of First Aid of Saint Martin, over an intensive period from September 11 to 15, 2023. It now allows all reserve staff to be qualified as first responders.

Action PA6

• Strengthen collaboration with institutions in charge of police

Inter-service activities, combining several surveillance structures help promote cohesion between staff members, prove to be essential during joint operations in the field. That’s how the nautical brigade of the gendarmerie and the customs agents work hand-in-hand at the Réserve Naturelle. The gendarmes, in addition to several patrols at sea aboard their boat, have contributed to underwater operations for seagrass beds and coral reefs. The customs agents have participated in multiple terrestrial operations on the islet of Tintamarre, concerning the management and monitoring of non-endemic species.

Action MS21

• A Ensure the recruitment, supervision and training of volunteers and interns

Carla Martinez, a first-year student in a nature management and protection course at the Aix-Valabre High School in Gardanne, France, did a two-month internship at the Réserve Naturelle from May 22 to July 12, 2023. Full of energy, she participated in all the activities of the Réserve, be it the monitoring of sea turtles, birds, and Biohuts, or academic activities in the classroom and in the field. She also worked on the installation of an exhibit of shells, creating informational sheets and kakemono hanging scrolls. The Réserve Naturelle would like to thank her for being motivated, pro-active, and highly professional.

Five interns, from three different middle schools on the island and the Northern Islands High School, got their taste of the professional world within the Réserve Naturelle for a week in January 2023. They learned about the various departments and jobs related to the environment.

Conclusions of the Récréafish study

In mid-September 2022, the Récréafish study, commissioned by the OFB, and run by IFREMER with the reserves of Saint Martin and Saint Barth, has concluded. At the end of the study, 50 excursions at sea were reported by recreational fishermen in Saint Barthélemy, compared to four in Saint Martin. For the nine contributors in Saint Barth and three in Saint Martin, this study coincided with unfavorable weather conditions on many occasions in 2022. The report summary produced by IFREMER will be addressed to all the contributors, who will also be able to participate in a raffle to win vouchers good for purchases in fishing stores. The study will be presented as part of the Life BIODIV’OM project.

Sculptures Financed By Sponsors

In 2021, AGOA—The Sanctuary for the Protection of Marine Mammals—financed new sculptures for the pedagogical service of the Réserve, who put these animals to good use during their awareness campaigns. A gray dolphin, a sperm whale, an orca, a pilot whale, a juvenile humpback whale, and a Risso’s dolphin have joined the humpback whale, the grouper, and the parrot fish sculptures previously offered by AGOA, as well as the tropicbird, the large bottlenose dolphin (anatomical), and the loggerhead turtle with its embryos and babies, financed in 2019 by the company, Contour Global, owner of the electrical production plant in Saint Martin.

Obligatory Certification Renewal For The Réserve team
On December 8, Aude Berger, Julien Chalifour, and Vincent Oliva were able to renew their Certificat d’Aptitude à l’Hyperbarie (CAH) during a professional training program in Guadeloupe. This renewal is obligatory for all professional underwater interventions. It allows the staff of the Réserve to maintain moorings, as well as do scientific studies of the marine milieu. Without this certificate, the Réserve Naturelle would have to call upon outside contractors who would bill the Réserve for their services.

Récréafish, A Study About Non-Professional Fishing

The Récréafish study, coordinated by the IFREMER (Research Institute For The Utilization Of The Sea) on behalf of the OFB and managed locally by the Réserve Naturelle, was launched this past summer in Saint Martin and in March 2021 in Saint Barthélemy. A total of 13 non-professional fishermen in Saint Martin and 42 in Saint Barthélemy, who regularly fish from their boats or on the shore, have promised to alert the Réserve when they go fishing and report their eventual catch, even if they come up empty handed, as ‘nothing’ is also of importance. They should also share their costs related to this activity, as well as the destination of what they caught: If they eat the fish; if they give it away’ or even if they sell it. The study is projected to last for one year.

A guide to restore and revitalize the mangrove

A technical guide titled “The Restoration Of The Mangrove” and a mobile application intended to facilitate the work of the managers of humid zones, both created by the Resource Center For Wetlands, were presented to Julien Chalifour an Christophe Joe, respectively in charge of the scientific office and the guards at the Réserve Naturelle, as well as to the National Forests Office, the National Office For Hunting and Wildlife, several environmental associations, and the managers of wetlands in the French Caribbean islands. The French committee of the International Union For Conservation of Nature hosted training in Guadeloupe on the restoration and revitalization of the mangrove on November 18 and 19. The technical guide presents the results of existing experience in mangrove restoration and the associated techniques, with drawings and tables. For the Réserve Naturelle, it is important that this guide is widely read and that the practices it recommends are collectively accepted, seeing that the Réserve was refused financing on the grounds that the use of a nursery was inappropriate in the case of restoring the mangrove. But that reasoning is contradicted in this technical guide, which establishes the efficiency of nurseries in the case where natural regeneration of the mangroves is impossible or insufficient, due to lack of trees and the absence of seeds, especially after the passage of a particularly strong hurricane.

A generous donation

On March 12, 2020, the Réserve Naturelle received a donation of close to 3000€, bequeathed by Mary Ruos, the widow of Jim Ruos, who passed away on December 29, 2019 at the age of 85 in Virginia. A biologist by training and adept at falconry, Jim Ruos worked for 21 years at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, primarily interested in turtledoves, but also migratory birds and birds of prey, especially the peregrine falcon. He was the first American to suggest funding countries that promote protection of migratory bird habitats. In the late 80’s, he and his wife decided to create the company Caribbean Islands Travel Service, which met with success in the tourism sector, including in Saint Martin, where he had a lot of friends. The Réserve Naturelle sends its condolences and thanks the family of this friend of the environment for such a generous gesture

What happens to all the data stored in our computers? Where will it be in 20 years? Or beyond? A question that IFRECOR and the French government have tried to answer in terms of coral reefs and sea plant beds in France. Presented in Martinique in 2017 to the administrators of protected marine sites in the region, including Julien Chalifour, this tool created by IFREMER allows all data collected by each site to be stored, as well as exchanged for a better sharing and interpretation of knowledge: and all on a national level. The AFB organized a second technical training day on the storing of this data on May 15, 2019 in Guadeloupe, and to which the scientific representatives of the Réserve Naturelle —Julien Chalifour and Aude Berger— were invited. This meeting was also an opportunity for the two scientists to see how the process has advanced and to meet a large number of partners collaborating with the Réserve on the conservation of marine ecosystems. These partners include government services, administrators, consultants, associations...

Under the auspices of the Conservatoire du Littoral, the Council of French Shores in America (CRFA) held its plenary session in Saint Martin this year on June 18-20 at the CCISM. The two days of meetings were dedicated to a review of activities completed during the year, as well as a look at future projects, with an eye to best preserving the coastlines in French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barth, and Saint Martin. Solicited to speak on behalf of the Réserve Naturelle, Nicolas Maslach stressed the importance of strengthening the partnerships with those that defend the interests of the Réserve and its regulations. He also noted that with a spirit of impartiality and goodwill, the Réserve serves as a tool that is put to the service of Saint Martin and its population.

Destroyed by hurricane Irma, various items put in place by the Réserve Naturelle are progressively being replaced and made available for use. On Tintamare, where only three wooden tables remained, two new ones are now ready for those who want to picnic on the island. Others will be happy to see that three identical tables have been installed on Pinel, two between the restaurants and the third to the right of the embarcadero, in the shadow of a pretty catalpa tree. The five pieces of furniture were made by students in the carpentry and woodworking atelier at the polyvalent high school, as were the previous tables. A huge thanks to these kids on behalf of the Réserve Naturelle!

It’s impossible to quantify the consequences of hurricane Irma in Saint Martin, but one of them impacts the creation of the Caribbean Institute For Insular Biodiversity (ICBI), a project led by the Réserve Naturelle since 2016. Located by the Etang de la Barrière in Cul-de-Sac, this project is currently the object of architectural and technical analysis, at the request of the Réserve. The marine flooding caused by storm swell exceeded the limits predicted in 2011 by the Prevention Plan For Natural Risks (PPRN), most notably in the bay of Cul-de-Sac where the waves inundated the first row of houses, with water over one meter high. So it is evident that the Réserve must make sure that the Institute will resist the wrath of the next hurricane. The analysis consists of evaluating the present situation, in order to provide a complete report on what should be built and to evaluate the feasibility of the operation. The effects of wind, flying debris, rain, and storm swell will be analyzed, as well as procedures to put in place before and after a hurricane. This will determine the architectural and technical modifications needed, and to how best protect all equipment by adapting the structure to withstand the extreme conditions imposed by Irma.

The 2017 final report for the Réserve Naturelle, its 2017 budget, and the new management plan for 2018-2027 were presented at a meeting of the Réserve’s advisory committee held on June 5, 2018 at the prefecture. Those present included prefect Anne Laubies. Nicolas Maslach recapped the activities of the Réserve in 2017—which can be found on the website of the Réserve Naturelle in prior issues of the journal—and he also revealed projects for 2018, including repairing material impacted by Irma, the creation of a nursery for exclusively local trees, especially protected species (gaïacs and melocactus intortus/barrel cactus), as well as the continued battle against pests and certain invasive species (rats, goats, common iguanas) in the natural sites within the Réserve Naturelle. Amandine Vaslet presented a detailed version of the management plan 2018 - 2027, which was created after the evaluation of the first management plan (read article page 7). The advisory committee validated the Réserve Naturelle’s final report for 2017, its 2017 budget, and its new management plan.

The clean-up and repairs of damage caused by hurricane Irma on sites managed by the Conservatoire du Littoral led to the creation of a strategic plan, which breaks down into four major actions. Funding comes from three sources: 80% from the French Agency for Biodiversity, the French government as part of the post-hurricane cleanup (clean-up phase for the sites), and from the treasury of the Conservatoire.

Aerial Photos

The first operation was an aerial photo shoot to obtain images using a drone, especially above the salt ponds, in order to establish the impact on the mangroves, to verify the condition of water outlets, and identify debris in the most inaccessible areas. Comparison with aerial photos taken in June 2017 provided a clearer estimation of the impact of the hurricane on these wetlands.

An Ecological MissionMission écologique

The second mission required the cooperation of ecologist Mélanie Haerteman and Anne-Marie Bouillé, head of the Conservatoire in Saint Martin. In March, they examined the state of fauna and flora and took hydrological measurements — temperature, oxygenation, salinity, and currents— as well as mapped the extent of debris. They covered Etang des Salines d’Orient, Etang aux Poissons, Etang de la Barrière, Etang de Chevrise, Lucas Bay pond, Etang Guichard, and they visited ponds by the airport, the cemetery of Grand Case, and the Lowlands, as well as Pinel. An information sheet currently defines the priorities at each site, actions to avoid, and those to promote. The Etang de la Barrière, where the mangrove was the hardest hit, figures at the very top of the list.

Big Cleanup

The third action got underway on July 2, 2018 with a cleanup of the Galion site. It comprised the evacuation of hundreds of tons of trash, from Club Orient and the wooden shelters from Orient Bay to metal roofing, jets ski, containers, cars, and plastic bags… The local company that won the RFP (request of proposal) for the project sent out on May 15 has just two months to remove the largest items of debris from the totality of the sites of the Conservatoire. At the same time, with the help of the Foundation of France, the back-to-work association ACED has a deadline of six months to collect the smaller trash on the same sites, and started to do so on the same day at the Lucas Bay site in Oyster Pond. In addition, one hundred French scouts are committed to cleaning up around Galion on July 14-22. They took over from 20 scouts from Belgium, who had been working at the Etang de Chevrise on July 2-13. All of the debris will be treated by the Ecosite, which donated all of its services to ACED and the Réserve Naturelle, and offered preferential rates to the local company. And with an eye toward replanting the mangrove, the Réserve Naturelle is collecting seeds for this coastal vegetation and start a nursery.

Application Of Recommendations

Once the sites are cleared all of debris, it will be time to repair or reconstruct the damaged structures and installations: bird observatories, open-air shelters, signage, and pathways... Please stay tuned for updates in our next edition.