9 local initiatives to protect biodiversity in Martinique
The protection of the marine environment in Martinique benefits from a vibrant and diverse network of associations. New players are regularly emerging on this ecological scene, much to the delight of the seabed. These players work closely with institutions whose missions and actions converge with those of the associations.
Overview of the actors who work daily to protect biodiversity linked to the marine and coastal environment in Martinique.
The voluntary sector
Some of these associations are small and rely on the efforts of their volunteers, while others have dozens of employees and are active throughout the country. Some work closely with the institutions, providing them with a direct link to civil society, while others regularly take up the cause of decisions they consider to be unequal.
ASSO-MER, the underwater life specialist
Since 2016,ASSO-MER has been involved in protecting and promoting Martinique's marine heritage. Inspired by Lasotè, a centuries-old Martinique tradition of working together to plow fields on the slopes of hills, the aim here is to work hand in hand to help protect the marine environment.
ASSO-MER practices participatory science, monitoring sea turtle nesting sites in the northern Caribbean: every year, volunteers are trained to carry out this monitoring, which takes place over several months during the nesting season.
Eco-ambassadors are also trained to run public information stands and raise awareness about plastic pollution, or organize beach cleanups. Numerous awareness-raising initiatives are also carried out in schools, including two AMEs (Marine Educational Areas) created in partnership with the Martinique Marine Nature Park and volunteer school teachers who are keen to guide their pupils towards active eco-citizenship rooted in their local area.
The Carbet des Sciences, for a reappropriation of science by the general public
This has been the guiding principle of this association for almost 30 years, as Martinique's Center for Scientific, Technical, and Industrial Culture (CCSTI). Like all CCSTIs in France, Carbet des Sciencesaims to "promote knowledge sharing by providing the widest possible audience with the means to learn about and reflect on the scientific and technical developments of our time."The issues addressed are as broad as the scientific issues themselves: nutrition, health, water, energy, biodiversity, and archaeology.
Its Marine Center, led by Mathilde Brassy, diver and marine biologist, organizes activities in schools and at public events, and also participates in large-scale projects such as the creation of the marine trail on the François islets.
Carouge, specialists in birds, but not only!
"Nature is interaction, and without interaction there is no life,"said David Belfan, president ofthe Le Carouge association, perfectly explaining how this thriving association operates, with its historical roots in the region.
Founded in 1989 by enthusiasts of Martinique's flora and fauna, this naturalist association is active on all fronts when it comes to biodiversity issues: monthly nature walks (open to non-members), annual monitoringof Iguana Delicatissima on Chancel Islet (the iguanas endemic to Martinique, which are seriously threatened by the presence of common iguanas on the island), as well as ornithological studies and training for those working in tourism.
The Martinique World Biosphere Reserve Association
Since 2017, this group of actors from all walks of life: elected officials, companies, associations and personalities has been working on the project to obtain the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve title for Martinique.
In September 2021, Martinique obtained its title and became part of a worldwide network of over 700 Biosphere Reserves in 131 countries.
A world title that commits Martinique to promoting its human, natural, and cultural resources as part of a drive for sustainable economic and social development. It also encourages scientific research and environmental education.
The association now coordinates the activities of the World Biosphere Reserve and co-chairs the Management Committee and working committees. It is also the main point of contact for the Biosphere Reserve network in Martinique.
Latest achievement: getting Mount Pelée and the Pitons du Carbet listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, with the listing to be confirmed in 2023!
Other younger associations are also moving the lines
With Coco AN DLO, Coraly Balmy aims to tackle two major challenges: preventing drowning accidents and protecting the marine environment. This former Olympic swimmer, beloved by Martinique, won the 2021 Prix Sport Planète award from MAIF for her community initiative. Her experience as an animal caretaker in the Mediterranean particularly highlighted the need to do something for her native land. As a result, she offers sea swimming courses for young people aged 4 to 17, as well as training programs for school teachers who want to take part in the adventure.
With its team, the Roots Of The Sea association is impressively dynamic. Mangrove restoration projects in partnership with other overseas territories, participation in the OceanHackathon, organization of the Sea Turtle Caravan... This association is a fine example of the involvement of Martinique's youth in protecting its ecological heritage.
The institutional sector
With its local branches, services, and national action plans specific to endangered species, the French government is heavily involved in initiatives across the country, always working closely with civil society, often through the voluntary sector.
The Martinique Natural Marine Park (PNMM)
The latest addition to the Marine Nature Parks, the PNMM is a marine protected area. It is a tool designed to contribute to the protection of the marine environment in line with sustainable development principles. While the park's employees are all part of the OFB, its governance is mixed, with a management committee that reflects the diversity of maritime stakeholders in Martinique.
Its seven guidelines, specific to the island and its challenges, are: knowledge, awareness, preservation, sustainable exploitation, reconciliation, responsible activities, and monitoring.
In concrete terms, its actions cover a wide spectrum. These may include establishing protected areas (regulated fishing, prohibition of mooring in certain areas with the provision of buoys), conducting or commissioning scientific studies (mapping, impact of human activities on marine populations, etc. the fields are wide-ranging), supporting professionals (helping to reduce the impact of nautical events, training maritime professionals, or monitoring innovative projects such as Voile Nature), improving water quality with studies on the impact of Sargassum, supporting waste recovery projects, and raising awareness among recreational boaters.
Finally, its mission to raise awareness of the marine environment and its challenges leads the PNMM to organize events, participate in numerous public events, and also use the wonderful tool that is Marine Educational Areas, which bring the sea into schools.
Agoa, the sanctuary for marine mammals
Like the Marine Nature Park, the Agoa Sanctuary is a marine protected area, entirely dedicated to the protection of marine mammals. Its territory of action is also more extensive: covering 143,256 km², "the Sanctuary covers the entire exclusive economic zone of the French West Indies, i.e. the waters of Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, and Saint Barthélemy."
Its missions are linked to knowledge of protected species, raising awareness about their protection, and supporting economic actors whose work impacts the lives of marine mammals. Great importance is also given to international cooperation with other Caribbean states, based on the SPAW (Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife) protocol, a legislative instrument for environmental protection in the Greater Caribbean region.
Lesser Antillean Iguana Network
To enable the conservation ofthe Lesser Antilles iguana,Iguana Delicatissima, classified as critically endangered, there is a National Action Plan (NAP) led by the Prefect of Martinique (represented by DEAL) and coordinated by the ONF (National Forestry Office). The actions carried out by the network, which brings together numerous stakeholders (associations, institutional actors, volunteers), include scientific monitoring, awareness-raising (with the iguana caravan that travels around Martinique), and very concrete conservation actions, particularly on Chancel Island.
The Martinique Marine Turtle Network
Like their cousins, the iguanas, sea turtles also have a National Action Plan run by a multi-partner network. It is also led by the DEAL (Department of Environment, Planning, and Housing) and coordinated by the National Forestry Office. It benefits the five species of sea turtles that can be found on the beaches or in the water in the Lesser Antilles.
In Martinique, this specifically concerns leatherback, green, and hawksbill turtles. The turtle caravan raises awareness across Martinique, with activities organized by environmental protection associations. In terms of knowledge, several areas are being studied: each year, nesting tracks are monitored, studies are conducted on the impact of human activity on nesting, and populations are monitored in terms of feeding (mainly on live turtles feeding on the seagrass beds of the Caribbean coast). In terms of conservation, measures are also in place to combat all forms of disturbance or capture (accidental or otherwise).
Written by : Jessica CHEKROUN
