SAN MARTIN NATURE RESERVE

The Saint Martin Nature Reserve is located on the east coast of the island and delimited by a triangle from Anse Marcel, passing east of Tintamarre Island and ending at the entrance of the Oyster Pond lagoon. It is a true sanctuary of flora and fauna. It includes a marine area of over 3,000 hectares and a land area of 150 hectares.

The essential principle of the nature reserve is to enroll in the overall development policy of Saint Martin. It is an essential element for the conservation of biological and cultural heritage, both locally and internationally. It is also, in its own right, a tool for the social, cultural, scientific and economic development of the island.

The regulatory measures of the Saint Martin nature reserve (prohibited hunting, combating pollution…) are not brakes for the freedom of the inhabitants of this island. On the contrary, they guarantee the entire population the availability of a Community heritage that no one can appropriate or destroy in favor of immediate, personal and non-shared profitability.

Thus, no person shall: disturb animals, disturb them, harm them (and their eggs); collect, destroy or introduce plants; throwing garbage or polluting the environment; practice jet skiing, as well as the scooter of the seas; hunting, angling, netting, mowing; collecting sand, minerals or fossils; practice underwater hunting; camping; organize commercial activities without authorization.

Since October 2007, diving clubs have been allowed to explore sites managed by the nature reserve, including the Rocher Creole site. They have all signed a partnership charter which clearly defines commitments to protect the submarine ecosystem. Each diver contributes to the protection of the environment by a fee of 1.52 € per day.

Levied by customs, this tax also applies to passengers from vessels from December 15 to April 15 and from June 15 to August 31. It does not concern boaters who wet in Tintamarre, but all commercial providers who operate in the nature reserve. The fee included in the ticket price corresponds to 7% of the duty-free ticket, for a maximum of € 1.52.

The nature reserve does not seek to oppose the needs of economic development. However, it wants to prevent the major biological balances that govern our living environment from being irremediably affected and to lose irreplaceable natural wealth, which we are now indebted to all mankind and to future generations. The creation of this reserve allows for the establishment of regulations adapted to the protection of the natural heritage, but also to the reasoned practice of human activities, linked in particular to tourism, coastal urbanization and any destructive activities of the environment. This protective regulation is accompanied by awareness and information actions with the populations concerned. The 3,060 ha Saint Martin Natural Reserve is located in the northeast part of the island. The maritime part is the largest with a surface of over 2,900 ha.

It consists of several juxtaposed marine and coastal ecosystems: mangroves; marine phanogens; coral reefs; xerophytic formations of the coasts and cliffs. The last two, of a high quality, were weakened by anthropogenic pressure and cyclones in 1995. Their protection should allow for the restoration of fisheries resources.

The mangrove is dominated by the red palate (Rhizophora mangle) found in salt ponds. Etangs and mangroves are highly productive biological systems and are nursery areas for juvenile crustacean and fish. They also provide food and shelter for many birds (about fifty species listed).

Marine turtles (Caretta caretta, Eretmochelys imbricata, Dermochelys coriacea) also attend the large beaches on the eastern coast and the islands for laying each year.

They have been protected since 1991. It is common to cross them during dives, but it is absolutely necessary to refrain from touching them or frightening them. The marine area is also a pooled whale gathering area, which particularly affectionate shoals and hot waters during the breeding period. The period from January to May is the most suitable for a timely encounter with these cetaceans. All marine mammals are protected, so they should be observed while remaining discreet so as not to disturb them and avoid risk of knocking them out.

The land parts retained in the perimeter of the reserve are the last sites of Saint Martin spared by the real estate pressure (Eastern Point Bay).

The Creole Rock is a protected site that is part of the nature reserve which extends over an area of 250 m around the rock delimited by yellow colored buoys. No motorized equipment is allowed to enter the 30 m band. Vessels must use the anchorages provided for this purpose. Other anchors are specifically reserved for diving clubs and canoes. This site is one of the most beautiful for diving. It is suitable for beginners and confirmed divers. This rock whose profile evokes an amerindian head serves as a refuge for pelicans. It is forbidden to climb him.

A new management plan for 2018-2027 was carried out following the new methodology set up by the French Biodiversity Agency and the France Natural Reserves, validated at the beginning of 2018. Objectives are to promote conservation of coral reefs and associated species, marine phanogens and associated species, to promote the conservation of marine turtle populations, to promote the conservation of nursery sites for sharks and lines, to maintain or improve reception conditions for marine mammal and seabird populations. to maintain or improve the ecological state of ponds, to promote the conservation of the xerophile vegetation and to ensure the conditions for the reintroduction of the Iguana of the Small Antilles.