- Presentation

Created in 1998, the Réserve Naturelle Nationale (National Nature Reserve) of Saint Martin covers over 3,060 hectares (7,500 acres) in the north-eastern part of the French side of the island.
The marine zone of the Réserve, which comprises 2,900 hectares (7,000 acres), is situated on a plateau that extends between the islands of Anguilla, Saint Martin, and Saint Barthélemy.
Of this total acreage, 154 hectares (380 acres) are on the shore, including 11 linear kilometers of coastline placed the aegis of the Conservatoire du Littoral by the French government, and currently managed by the Réserve, which also controls 198 hectares (489 acres) of wetlands found in various locations on the island.

Saint Martin’s wealth of ecosystems includes mangroves, underwater plant nurseries, coral reefs, coastal forests and salt ponds, which means that the Réserve Naturelle shelters a diversified collection of terrestrial and marine flora and fauna, including numerous protected species. The three primary missions of the Réserve Naturelle are as follows:

  • Management
    To maintain the biodiversity and the ecological functionality of the protected sites, the management must safeguard the health of the ecosystems.
  • Protection
    The natural settings within the Réserve are subject to legal protection, comprising a series of regulations adapted to the local context and environmental challenges.
  • Information
    Only by allowing the largest possible public to appreciate nature and its functions, can sustainable protection of the natural heritage be possible.
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