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L’amélioration
des
connaissances
sur les espaces
et les espèces
protégées
Better
Knowledge
About
Protected Areas
And Protected
Species
Le Journal de la
Réserve Naturelle
Nationale de
Saint-Martin N°26
Octobre 2016
4
Calotropis procera
The Réserve Naturelle hosted Karl Questel,
a ranger at the Territorial Environmental
Agency of Saint Barth, on May 16-29.
Renow-
ned for his deep knowledge of tropical flora and
fauna, Questel lent a hand to Caroline Fleury
in her creation of an inventory of the terrestrial
flora and fauna the within the Réserve Naturelle
de Saint-Martin. During this two-week project,
Fleury and Questel identified every species
they encountered, whether native, endemic,
introduced, or invasive. Each species now has
its own information sheet, which comprises its
vernacular (common) name, its scientific name
(in Latin), its photo, and description. On the
Sentier des Froussards, for example, between
Anse Marcel and Cul-de-Sac, 211 floral species
and 103 animal species share the landscape,
including a large number of insects. Endemic
species - present naturally on the island - were
given special attention, with an eye toward
their preservation, as were invasive species,
in terms of controlling them, if not eradicating
them entirely. For example, one
scaevola tac-
cada
flowering shrub was found at Pinel and
might be uprooted. Called “sea manioc” in La
Réunion, this plant comes from the Indo-Pacific
region and tends to invade the coasts of Carib-
bean islands and Florida, where is supplants
its endemic cousin,
scaevola plumieri
. Fleury
and Questel spent one night on Tintamare, in
order to identify nocturnal species: starting with
insects - butterflies, grasshoppers, ants - as well
as other species, such as crabs and birds. The
Réserve Naturelle covered Karl Questel’s stay
in Saint Martin, as part of a partnership program
between the two islands.
Thank You Saint Barth!