Journal de La Réserve Naturelle Nationale de St.Martin #34

6 Réserve Naturelle SAINT MARTIN Every year, between 15,000 and 20,000 tons of suntan lotion end up in the world’s oceans. This represents—along with global warming—one of the principal causes of cor- al bleaching. These chemical, toxic products, intended to protect our skin from UV rays, are like poison for the coral, as they modify its DNA and cause new shoots to die with- out the opportunity to develop. Information is getting out, so that consumers are asking for new kinds of sunscreens that are 100% organic and respect the environment. The Réserve Naturelle encourages swimmers to use these new products and will soon sign a sponsoring agreement with Alphanova. Lo- cated in Hyères (France), this company has developed suntan lotions that respect the environment, and they approached the Ré- serve in Saint Martin, offering to donate 1% of their worldwide sales of such products. In exchange, the Réserve is committed to the restoration of the coral in its marine zones, primarily by planting cuttings, and to direct diving and other tourist activities to certain areas, in order to give a rest to those sites that have too many visitors. Staff members from Alphanova will participate in these projects and the company will provide their suntan lotion and anti-UV clothing to the Réserve. At the same time, the Réserve will raise aware- ness with diving clubs, asking them to forbid chemical sunscreens at dive sites. New Non-Toxic Suntan Lotion To Help Protect Coral Topromote theconservationof thecoral reefsand relatedspecies In Hawaii, where more than half of the coral suffered bleaching between 2014 and 2015, the local government enacted a law that prohibits the sale of sunscreens that are toxic for coral, applicable as of 2021.