English
Français
MobBiodiv’Restoration of terrestrial zones: the winners
As part of the French Recovery Plan, the OFB sent out a call for projects titled “MobBiodiv’Restoration of Terrestrial Zones 2021.” The French Antilles selection committee, which includes Julien Chalifour, met via video conference on May 26, to examine and evaluate the four projects in competition for the French Antilles:
- Ecological restoration of the former communal dump into a botanical garden with drought-resistant plants in Anse Bertrand (Guadeloupe).
- Ecological restoration and reinforcement of the vegetation at Bois-Jolan/Helleux in Sainte-Anne in Guadeloupe, primarily to fight against erosion and encourage egg-laying by sea turtles.
- Re-planting of urban and peri-urban spaces in the French Antilles to increase pollination by introducing endemic vegetation and their favorite pollinators to these areas (Guadeloupe and Martinique).
- The capture of wild goats and the planting of local trees in Saint Barthélemy. Roughly 3000 to 5000 goats roam the hillsides of Saint Barth and destroy the vegetation, to the detriment of other species and coastal sea beds. The committee’s decision on these projects will be announced shortly and the winners will receive financial support to get their projects underway. MobBiodiv’Restoration of terrestrial zones: the winners
Récréafish: A study for all non-professional fishermen
On May 26, Julien Chalifour participated in a video conference organized by the IFREMER (French Research Institute For Ocean Science) in Martinique, in order to define the Réserve’s contribution to the Récréafish project, a study in recreational fishing in the waters of the French Antilles. This study concerns all non-professional fishermen and all fishing techniques: fishing from the shore, underwater, or aboard a boat. The goal is to collect reliable information on the size of the leisure fishing industry in the French Antilles, unknown at the present time, as well as its economic impact, a look at the fishermen and the primary species they catch. The role of La Réserve Naturelle, the local contact for this project, is to centralize the data transmitted by the participants in Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, and to establish regular contact with them. The project was launched in Saint Barth where the fishermen received a logbook to record their fishing excursions and their catch for a year. However, the project was delayed for a few months in Saint Martin, where all fishing was forbidden following the death of a swimmer after a mortal attack by a shark in December 2020. At the end of the year of recording their fishing activities in their logbooks, they will be entered in a raffle to win gift certificates of 50 to 150 euros to spend in fishing gear shops
