A biodiversity to preserve
As in Saint-Barthélemy, marine vegetation is also rehabilitated through nurseries designed to encourage coral growth, for example. The Saint-Martin nature reserve preserves the main ecosystems: reefs, mangroves, ponds and coastal dry forest. Of the 3,060 hectares, 2,900 hectares are dedicated to marine species and seabeds. In the marine environment, apart from the numerous species of fish (diodon, mombin, butterfly fish, parrot fish, surgeonfish, angel fish, sergeant-major, trunk fish) and invertebrates (sea urchins, lambis, starfish), the most remarkable animals are the sea turtles(green, hawksbill and leatherback), which come to lay their eggs on most of the island's beaches and islets. From December to April, the marine zone is also a staging area for humpback whales, which are particularly fond of the shallows during the breeding season.
Invaders hard to control: sargassum
In mainland France, we don't hear much about this brown algae, which is becoming the West Indies' nightmare. Since 2011, sargassum has been invading the Caribbean on a scale that is becoming a health and economic problem! Normally harmless in small quantities, it washes up at sea all over the Caribbean. And it's only human activity that's responsible for their proliferation. Various industries, including ethanol production in Brazil, use very large quantities of phytosanitary products (fertilizers, phosphorus, nitrogen, pesticides, fungicides). Measures have been put in place to combat this scourge, including a Sargasso Plan worth 10 million euros in 2018 and 2019, and since 2022, a new one worth 36 million euros for 4 years! These investments are to be used to acquire machinery and create manual collection teams. Sargassum could be used to make bioplastics, shoe polish, paper or even fuel. But for the moment, no satisfactory solution has been found, and many beaches are still regularly polluted by brown algae.
Natural heritage: a diversified terrestrial fauna
To preserve the island's natural heritage, the association Les Fruits de Mer collects information and promotes the island's flora and fauna. It organizes workshops and conferences and works with the Amuseum Naturalis Museum to safeguard the island's natural heritage. Most of the species present at the start of colonization have disappeared from the islands, such as the manatee (freshwater seal), the agouti (small rodent) or the trigonocephalus (snake, which remains in Martinique). Only birds (hummingbirds, sugarbirds, blackbirds and other hummingbirds) can be photographed, and they'll finish off your breakfast crumbs. You can also see iguanas sunning themselves on the rocky shores, and mammals such as racoons and mongooses feeding on crabs, eggs and small fish. It's true that the island's emblem is the pelican, but the iguana is a real star that's easy to spot. There are two species: the invasive common iguana and the endangered Lesser Antillean iguana. This prehistoric animal, which seems to have come from another time, takes on different colors depending on its age: sparkling apple green when young, adult gray, then orange as it ages. You're very likely to come across one on the road from Oyster Pond toIslet Pinel. The island has a wealth of birdlife, with 85 species, although many people are unaware of this. In fact, there are around 50 species of birds, some sedentary, others migratory. Their presence and regularity are greatly compromised by the vagaries of nature (cyclones) on the one hand, and man (tourism, demographics) on the other. Some of the best-known are frigate birds, sugarbirds, egrets, pelicans, gulls, crab-eaters and blackbirds, found mainly near the edges of ponds, in mangrove swamps and in forests. Seabirds, for their part, frequent the area around theisland of Tintamarre.
If anyone suggests that mosquitoes are ready to pounce on your sheets, believe it or not, it's not just a metaphor. The fight against these belligerent creatures is merciless, and it's best to be armed to meet their repeated attacks, especially at dawn and dusk. The Aedes aegypti mosquito can transmit dengue fever and now chikungunya, which appeared in the French West Indies at the end of 2013. The Zika virus was added to the list in early 2016. A few small scorpions and mygales can be encountered, notably in the vicinity of Pic Paradis. The cricket and the cabrit-bois (a kind of large grasshopper) will only appear to you in your dreams, but every evening they impose a concert of popular animal music, which also brings together the croaking of frogs. Hummingbirds perched on the hibiscus cohabit with butterflies in a variety of colors, adorning the flowers and offering a range of colorful alternatives. You'll find anolis (lizards) and crabs on the beaches.
A green future?
The rapid growth of real estate development means that Saint-Martin must protect its magnificent environment, or at least what remains of it. The balance of flora and fauna is constantly threatened by human activities, growing tourism and delicate natural conditions. In 2018, the Institut caribéen de la biodiversité insulaire (Caribbean Institute of Island Biodiversity) was due to open in Cul-de-Sac. Its opening was postponed following the passage of Irma and the need to rebuild other priority infrastructures. Its creation/construction is included in the Nature Reserve's 2018-2027 management plan. It's the associations that are taking the most action to protect their earthen setting. And both parts of the island are responding with the same enthusiasm! For example, in the international beach clean-up, many participants join forces on both sides of the island. The environment and art go hand in hand, and ghost nets (abandoned fishermen's nets) are recovered to create artistic works to raise public awareness. What a great idea!
