Long Term Goal N°1 : Understanding and Monitoring Our Natural Heritage

Action CS4 Monitoring Of Fish (priority 1)

Le mérou géant observé le 22 octobre 2020 - The giant grouper seen on October 22, 2020

Good News For The Life Biodiv’Om Project

Des alevins identifiés - Identify alevins Halfway through its completion, after two and a half years of work, the Life Biodiv’Om project was submitted to an audit from Europe, led by an outside firm. This task has now been completed and encouraged the management association of La Réserve Naturelle de Saint-Martin to continue along this path. Aude Berger presented advancements made by the project via video conference with numerous photos and videos of nocturnal fishing, samples of post-larvae, and aquariums, not forgetting her meeting with a giant grouper on October 22, 2020.

Life Biodiv’Om: More Night Fishing

In early 2021 the Life Biodiv’Om project went on with the relaunch of nocturnal fishing, during the period of the new moon in the months of February, March, April, and May, and taking samples of post-larvae, at the moment they colonize shallow coastal waters. Bad weather conditions prohibited night excursions at sea, making it impossible to place the luminous traps meant to attract the alevins. The results of this exploratory fishing are considered satisfying, even if the grouper was the only species to be identified. The next night fishing excursions are planned for August, September, and October 2021.

If you would like to participate in this fascinating scientific program, please feel free to send an email to Aude Berger at reservenat.aude@yahoo.com. You would go out to sea with Aude and two other volunteers for a few evenings, around the date of the new moon, to place the traps, then go back to get them at dawn. The identification of the alevins comes next: only those non-identified young fish are placed in an aquarium, the other fish are immediately released back into the sea. Aude Berger sincerely thanks the volunteers for their support as these missions at sea would not be possible without them. She looks forward to seeing them again in August, September, and October of this year.

Action CS16 Monitoring of Turtles Washed Ashore Or in Distress (priority 1)

Tortue échouée après une rencontre avec un engin nautique motorisé A sea turtle washed ashore after being hit by a motorized nautical vehicle

Training of veterinarians to treat sea turtles

Veterinarians in Saint Martin who were interested to learn more about treating injured sea turtles took part in a training via video conference led by a veterinarian, the France Sea Turtles Group, and the Museum of Natural History. In the absence of a treatment center dedicated to the care of sea turtles, this training met a real need, as the number of injured sea turtles washing ashore has multiplied in recent years.

Action CS19 Evaluation and study of marine mammal populations (priority 1)

Baleine à bosse et son baleineau - A humpback whale and her caf l © Laurent Bouveret

Update on the Cari’mam Project

On January 19, 2021, the steering committee for the Cari’mam project, led by the Agoa sanctuary, and La Réserve Naturelle did an update on the advancement of the parts of the project intended for Saint Martin. The management association for La Réserve Naturelle de Saint-Martin (AGRNSM) evoked the impossibility of launching the 2020-2021 Megara campaign, due to lack of prefinancing, due to difficulties caused by Covid 19. As the project is financed by the European Union, a call for tenders went out anyway in November 2020. Only one proposal was received in return, but it was impossible to follow up. However, in February 2020, La Réserve went ahead with the installation of a passive hydrophone supplied by Agoa as part of CARI’MAM project. This was placed at a depth of fifteen meters to capture the songs of marine mammals, which are recorded one minute, every five minutes, continuously. The recordings are collected once per month, at which time the batteries need to be replaced. The sounds are transmitted to researchers at the University of Toulon, which has developed artificial intelligence capable of learning to identify the sounds of the sea, in order to automatically handle the hours and hours of acoustic recordings contributed from all across the Caribbean.

Action CS26 Support for the Monitoring of Physico-Chemical Parameters In The Salt Ponds (priority 2)

La station d’épuration de la pointe des Canonniers - The watert reatment plant at the Pointe des Canonniers

EEASM: Surveillance of the quality of wastewater

As part of the surveillance of the quality of wastewater from water treatment plants by the Établissement de l’eau et de l’assainissement de Saint-Martin (EEASM), a meeting was held on January 12, 2021 at the prefecture at the request of the DEAL (Direction for the Environment, Sanitation, and Housing). This meeting, which was attended by La Réserve Naturelle, was led by Bruno Grézillier, a specialist in the subject of the quality of water and the laws concerning it, at the DEAL, in order to examine the stations at the Pointe des Canonniers and in French Quarter, and the quality of their wastewater.

Action CS31 Evaluate and Monitor The Health of the Melocactus Intortus Populations

Suivi de la population de Melocactus Intortus à Cactus Place - Study of the Melocactus Intortus population at Cactus Place

La station d’épuration de la pointe des Canonniers - The watert reatment plant at the Pointe des Canonniers

Scientific Study of Melocactus Intortus

Close to 2500 individual Melocactus Intortus cactus, an iconic and protected species, were evaluated at the following three sites: Cactus Place, Wilderness, and Babit Point. This impressive number was reached by Maât Matheux, an intern at La Réserve Naturelle from March 29 through May 15, 2021. She is also a student at the University of Villeurbanne, where she is studying life sciences with an accent on biodiversity. Her task consisted of studying the populations of Melocactus Intortus, evaluating the impact of human activities on these populations, and comparing the three sites, as well as participating in other projects for the scientific office and carrying out activities for other offices as well. This mission is part of the 2021 monitoring program of the populations of “Turk’s Head” cactus, held every five years at the three abovementioned sites. The intern noted rather contrasting situations at the three sites, based on their popularity with visitors, the impact of hurricane Irma, the invasion of Cactoblastis Cactorum butterflies and caterpillars, and deterioration caused by domestic animals (primarily donkeys and horses, and especially at Babit Point). This study turned out to be quite complicated, as the last one was done in 2016, before hurricane Irma, which damaged a great number of cactus; as well as for other reasons: illegal taking of plants, drought… At the end of the day, the population of Melocactus Intortus is still present, but primarily consisting of young specimens. The bad news is that 50% of these cactus are injured or weakened by parasites due to the presence of the Cactoblastis Cactorum moth, as is also the case in other places in the West Indies. This population therefore remains fragile and more than ever requires special attention to ensure its survival.

A trial project to battle the presence of the Cactoblastis Cactorum moth is underway in Saint Barth, with the help of a mushroom. This exotic yet invasive species, which feeds on the cactus in the Opuntia familty, represents a scourge in the Caribbean, Mexico, Florida, and the United States, where it was introduced by humans to limit the invasion of cacti also introduced by humans.

Action CS35 Favoriser les programmes d’acquisition de connaissances sur la RNN (priorité 1)

Chantal Imperiale sur le terrain Fieldwork for Chantal Imperiale

Une CPE en stage à la Réserve naturelle

Chantal Impériale, CPE au collège Soualiga, en formation pour un BTS « Gestion et protection de la nature » avec une école d’Angers, à distance, a effectué son stage pratique d’une durée de huit semaines à la réserve naturelle. Pendant ce stage, elle a fait avancer le projet Life Biodiv’Om, ainsi que les suivis scientifiques et les autres actions du pôle scientifique.

Transfert de savoir-faire

Un transfert de savoir-faire, prévu dans le programme Life Biodiv’Om, a eu lieu en avril 2021, lors de la formation de Karl Questel, de l’Agence territoriale de l’environnement (ATE) de Saint-Barth. Cette formation, comme celle donnée par Ecocéan à la Réserve naturelle, a porté sur la technique de pêche exploratoire des post-larves et de leur traitement. Deux autres agents de l’ATE bénéficieront prochainement d’une formation identique, dans le cadre de la réplicabilité du programme.

Action CS13 Monitoring Sea Turtle Egg-Laying Activity (priority 1)

Traces de ponte sur la baie Orientale - Traces of egg-laying at Orient Bay

Sea Turtles and Eco-Volunteers

The 2021 season for sea turtles got underway with a first meeting for the eco-volunteers on April 1. Approximately 30 volunteers answered the call for service, but that is not sufficient. If the idea of participating in the activities of La Réserve Naturelle appeals to you, including regularly walking the beaches where you are assigned and noting the traces left by the turtles that came to dig their nests. It is never too late to participate! Please contact Aude Berger at reservenat.aude@yahoo.com.

Réserve Naturelle Nationale de Saint-Martin

3 rue Barbuda, Hope Estate- 97 150 Saint-Martin
Tél: 05 90 29 09 72 Fax: 05 90 29 09 74

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

Direction: direction@rnsm.org
Pôle police de la nature et logistique 06 90 57 95 55 reservenat.franck@yahoo.fr
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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