After four years of work, research and perseverance, the Saint-Martin Nature Reserve Management Association inaugurated its Biodiversity Mangrove Nursery, located on the left side of the Galion road, opposite the Salines d'Orient.
Worn with the Conservatory and financed by the Foundation of FranceThis reserve project has restored a former wetland degraded since the 1950s and after Hurricane Irma. Thanks to the reconnection with the nearby pond and creation of a nursery of the four species of mangroves The site of Saint-Martin is now returning to its natural purpose.
A scientific and educational tool
“This inauguration is invaluable. We encountered many difficulties in bringing this project to fruition,” emphasized the president of the Saint-Martin Nature Reserve Management AssociationAnne-Karine Fleming, recalling that This initiative was launched in 2022 under the presidency of Pierre Aliotti.The teams had to develop their own scientific protocol in order to harvest the seedsto ensure the monitoring of plantings, each mangrove being identified and observed throughout its growth.
Nowadays, 5.463 mangroves (grey, black, white and red) were planted there as well as at Galion and Tintamarre, including 1.071 last year on the site. Before this inauguration, 408 students had already discovered this new space as part of the Marine Educational AreasThe president, accompanied by Medhi Broussillon, deputy overseas delegate of the Conservatoire du littoral, and Anne-Marie Bouillé, director of the local branch, also invited the island's associations, particularly those from Quartier d'Orléansto take ownership of this place of discovery and awareness. Accessible to HandicappedThe site is equipped with a wooden walk, observation platforms of'avifauna and a covered playground, which will soon be equipped with benches thanks to the support of Rotary Club Sunset. A educational signage will also complement this space dedicated to the preservation of the mangrove swamp, destined to become a key location for discovering and raising awareness about this ecosystem among schools, associations, and the general public. _Vx
