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

51 Réserve Naturelle SAINT MARTIN éserve aturelle I I On February 10-14, 2020, Julien Chalifour went to Martinique to participate in a national workshop on the management of exotic invasive species as organized by the International Union for Conser- vation of Nature (IUCN) in France. The point per- son for this field in Saint Martin, Julien Chalifour worked alongside other experts from metropoli- tan France and almost all of the overseas territo- ries, all concerned by this important subject. This workshop provided an opportunity to synthesize the current challenges for each territory, to iden- tify the strongest threats, current and future, and to share the results of each participant’s experiences. The invasion by exotic species constitutes one of the principal causes of erosion of the diversity in the overseas territories, the principal French reser- voir of biodiversity. This problem, exacerbated by trade and transport as established by humans, is complex and expensive to manage. A good aware- ness campaign and early detection are among the tools of good management and help limit the re- sources and costs, yet often these things are put in place when it’s already too late. Knowing that the European Union requires its members to continue the fight against exotic invasive species, the work- ing made a list of all the data provided, in order to make recommendations to send to the directors of decision-making institutions. éserve aturelle I I éserve aturelle I I The difficult combat against exotic invasive species • Capture d’un poisson-lion dans la Réserve naturelle - Capturing a lionfish in the Réserve Naturelle In Saint Martin, there are many exotic invasive species on land and at sea, including: the coral vine (Antigonon leptopus), the common iguana (Iguana iguana), the green monkey (Chloroce- bus sabaeus), the Indian mongoose, Haliphola stipulacea algae, and the lionfish (Pterois voli- tans). Not to mention cats, a friendly pet fond of caresses, but also a champion predator of birds and lizards found in our gardens.