Journal de La Réserve Naturelle Nationale de St.Martin #37

13 Action IP6: Contribute to the rehabilitation of coral reefs and sea grass beds Réserve Naturelle SAINT MARTIN éserve aturelle I I The Réserve Naturelle, a member of the group re- sponsible for supervising improvements for the Port Authority of Saint Martin, helped install banks of per- manent moorings intended for recreational boats. The goal is to reduce the usage of anchors by providing the permanent moorings, which are environmentally friendly, at sites managed by the Port Authority, such as the bay in Marigot. The Réserve Naturelle, which has installed moorings at three sites—Tintamare, Ro- cher Créole, and Pinel—, benefits from many years of experience in this area and can bring its expertise, with an eye toward safety, sustainable management, and the protection of the marine biodiversity. In fact, these new mooring zones will not only contribute to the comfort of professional and recreational boats, but also encourage revitalization of the biodiversity through the placement of artificial habitats: thanks to Biohab and Biohab2, the artificial habitats created by the Réserve will help with the rejuvenation and diversification of the marine fauna and flora in the controlled mooring zones already impacted by the presence of hundreds of boats in high season. Similar projects have recently met with great success in the Mediterranean, thanks to NAPPEX, which has set up coastal areas as veritable nurseries. The Réserve: expert in environmental moorings • Long Term Goal : To promote the conservation of seagrass beds and related marine plant species Le récif artificiel Biohab2 - Biohab2 artificial reef © Julien Chalifour