To promote the conservation of drought-resistant vegetation

To promote the conservation of drought-resistant vegetation

To promote the conservation of drought-resistant vegetation

Protection de la flore des îlets
Protection de la flore des îlets

The conservation of xenophile vegetation is one of the long-term goals of the management plan for the Réserve Naturelle. In this framework, the scientific department created an identification program for the flora on the islets of Caye Verte, Petite Clé, Pinel, and Tintamare. Financed by the French Agency for Biodiversity (AFB), this operation took place on July 15-19 and again on August 5-8, 2019, with the participation of Jonathan Migeot, PhD in tropical botany affiliated with ImpactMer in Martinique, as well as Karl Questel and Jonas Hochart from the Territorial Environmental Agency in Saint Barth. The four islets were investigated and special areas were defined and marked, and within each area the number and size of the plants were listed by species. This project will allow for the reconstitution of the flora on these islets over time. These missions resulted in technical notes, and a more detailed report will be forthcoming early next year, including recommendations for the convalescence of these impacted areas. As of now, we know that important differences exist in the number and types of species on each of the four sites, but also that the presence of goats and green iguanas has a major negative impact on the vegetation by limiting the reproduction of various species, most notably certain trees. Also, based on an itinerary of the flora done in 2016 by Caroline Fleury and Karl Questel, it will be possible to evaluate the consequences of hurricane Irma on the vegetal species in the Réserve.

The impact of hurricane Irma on the environment incited the French Agency for Biodiversity to call for projects that would restore biodiversity throughout the overseas territories. The Réserve responded to this call by submitting three dossiers. One of these projects, which has already been accepted, aims to finance the realization of a scientific inventory of the imparct of Irma on the flora on the small islands within the Réserve Naturelle—Pinel, Petite Clé, Caye Verte, and Tintamare—and the goal is to propose projects to restore the species and their habitants. A second project, not yet validated, concerns activities for the conservation of sea turtles and their protection. The objective it to continue the scientific study during the egg-laying season, as well as to develop the networks for marine mammals, to rehabilitate their essential habitats, which are the beaches where they lay eggs and the zones where they feed, and to reinforce public awareness programs. A third dossier, submitted by Vincent Oliva, seeks financing for the acquisition of awareness materials that can be used in schools.

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