Together we stand

On June 25 and 26, 2015, the top managers of protected marine zones in the French Antilles met at the Hotel Mercure with one goal in mind: to keep moving forward in the right direction. The Réserve Naturelle of Saint Martin was represented in force, along with the Conservatoire du Littoral, the Environmental Agency of Saint Barth, the Parc National de Guadeloupe, the AGOA sanctuary, and the Environmental Agencies (DEAL) from Martinique and Guadeloupe. The goal of this regional forum, derived from a similar national forum, was to get all of the major players in this sector in contact so that they can share their experiences and their knowledge, and pool their information for the best means of conservation. Approximately 20 subjects were on the agenda, including the new law on biodiversity intended to avoid, reduce, and compensate for damage done to nature, with an accent on the Caribbean. For example, this new notion of «compensation» can be seen in the project for a large maritime port in Guadeloupe, which includes measures of restoration such as the transfer of coral colonies threatened by the new access channel. A presentation was also made about the creation of a network that would keep track of the health of the protected marine zones in the Northern Islands - Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Saint Barth, Anguilla, Saba, and Saint Eustache - in order to improve results, and coordinate and simplify the work of the managers who are all confronting the same issues in an isolated manner. Also on the agenda was the topic of the usage - or the over-usage - of protected marine zones by the public. This atelier look to establish optimal specifications taking into account the delicate balance between the capacity of these sites in terms of visitors, maintaining activities that feed the economy, and the conservation of the eco-systems.