The RN And Its Coral Say Thanks To Alphanova

Alphanova presented a check for 12,000€ to the Réserve Naturelle, as part of its 1% program for coral. This donation was made at KKO restaurant on Monday, June 3, during a cocktail party sponsored by Alphanova for the inauguration of the IFRECOR committee meeting in Saint Martin. As we announced in our last issue, this company has invested in organic suntan products that respect the environment, and has signed a sponsorship agreement with the Réserve Naturelle of Saint Martin, to which they donate 1% of their worldwide sales. In exchange, the Réserve has promised to promote the restoration of coral in its marine zones, especially by planting new cuttings. In early June, a group from Alphanova Sun was able to experience the marine milieu of the Réserve and appreciate the work done by their staff, accompanied by Julien Chalifour, as well as Camille Sanchez and Colette Buisson, the two student interns at the Réserve. They visited the artificial habitats, which since October 2018 have become a refuge for coral cuttings. Hundreds of cuttings were recovered from the nurseries that were weakened by Irma and were able to be fragmented to encourage their multiplication. At the same time, 200 of these little sprouts were added to the BioHab2 site off the coast of Tintamare. To date, the Réserve has limited this activity to these artificial sites, as it is necessary to have special permission from the government to replant the coral at natural sites, since the two types of coral —elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis)— have been considered protected species in the French Antilles since 2017.