This Saturday, March 25, the Management Association of the National Nature Reserve of Saint-Martin organized, as part of the European LIFE BIODIV'OM program led by Aude Berger, a morning of discovery on the Galion beach. More than 120 people came to the site of the event.
The program was rich and diversified: raising awareness about the protection of giant groupers and Nassau groupers from Saint-Martin, virtual reality diving using high-end helmets, planting mangroves and information on shorebirds. In an effort to raise awareness and mobilize citizens in their actions in favor of marine biodiversity, the National Nature Reserve of Saint-Martin has imagined a morning that will delight young and old. The bet is largely successful. The entire team of the Nature Reserve and the volunteers were available to the public, whether it was Julien Chalifour at the bird stand such as the Martinique white-throated mockingbird, the Mayotte white crabeater and the Reunion cuckoo bird (tuit-tuit ). These birds are also concerned by the Life Biodiv'om project carried out in five overseas territories focusing on globally threatened species with a budget of €365.187,5 for five years allocated to a preparatory conservation action plan in order to increase knowledge and raise public awareness. The marine species particularly concerned by this morning of discovery was the grouper.
Aude Berger held a fascinating conference on the giant grouper and the Naussau grouper from Saint-Martin, whether on their reproduction, their habitat, their behavior or their longevity between 30 and 40 years. Groupers are exceptional in more ways than one: growling fish when they sense danger, they are also hermaphrodites. With a majority of females, the grouper changes sex when there are not enough males in the group. The groupers thus travel tens of kilometers to find themselves by the thousands in aggregation, dancing and reproducing. Due to unreasonable fishing and the lack of regulations on the subject, both species are in danger. Vincent Oliva was responsible for animating the virtual reality space where the public tried their hand at scuba diving without getting wet.
Through this morning of discovery as instructive as it is fun, the message of the Nature Reserve to the population of Saint-Martin is clear: join the participative network "The eyes of the groupers" in order to collect grouper observation data (date, species name, size, location, photo). To your masks and snorkels! _Vx
Info: https://
www.reservenaturelle-saint-martin.com
https://www.lifebiodivom.fr
https://faxinfo.fr/en/environnement-franc-succes-pour-la-matinee-decouverte-de-la-reserve-naturelle/
