Journal de La Réserve Naturelle Nationale de St.Martin #35

7 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 res- taurant on Monday, June 3, during a cocktail party sponsored by Alphanova for the inaugu- ration 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 theirworldwide sales. In exchange, the Réserve has promised to promote the res- toration 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 appre- ciate 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 habi- tats, which since October 2018 have become a refuge for coral cuttings. Hundreds of cut- tings 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 govern- ment to replant the coral at natural sites, since the two types of coral —elkhorn coral ( Acropora palmata ) and staghorn coral ( Acropora cervicor- nis )— have been considered protected species in the French Antilles since 2017. The RNAnd Its Coral SayThanks To Alphanova Every year, between 15,000 and 20,000 tons of suntan lotion go into the ocean, and along with climate change, comprise one of the principal causes of coral bleaching. Among the chemical —and toxic— ingre- dients meant to protect our skin from UV rays, oxybenzone is pure poison for coral, as it modifies the DNA and causes new shoots to die with no possibility to develop. In Hawaii, where more than half of the co- ral suffered from bleaching between 2014 and 2015, the local government has passed a law forbidding the sale and use of suntan products that are toxic to coral, as of 2021. Réserve Naturelle SAINT MARTIN Alphanova a remis un chèque de 12 000 € à la Réserve naturelle Alphanova presented a check for 12,000€ to the Réserve Naturelle Favoriser la conservationdes récifs coralliens et des espèces associées / Topromote the conservationof the coral reefs and related species