LITTLE BAY The St. Maarten Pride Foundation has posted a release that stated the following: “The viability of the main on-island nesting area of Sint Maarten’s National bird the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis occidentalis) under severe threat.
Fort Amsterdam- Sint Maarten, a protected historical site, is the location of the Brown Pelican’s main on-island nesting colony, the area is internationally recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA) and Pelicans and their habitat are both protected through international treaties and national Sint Maarten legislation. Recent surveys by local environmental organizations have registered over 40 nesting pairs at Fort- Amsterdam over the past 6 months alone!
Large scale, consistent on-land and in-water disturbances such as tourism related activities in close proximity to the rock formations (cliffs) which surround the Fort Amsterdam peninsula can deter Pelicans from nesting or cause them to abandon eggs or chicks.
Sint Maarten Pride Foundation is extremely concerned that the Minister of VROMI of the Ministry of VROMI and the Minister of TEATT Ministry of TEATT Sxm Government of Sint Maarten ’s decision to grant permits to a company by the name of Deep Blue Sea to submerge over 300 statues and operate the so called “Spirit of Soualiga Underwater sculpture Park”, thereby allowing a mass-tourism activity to take place in close proximity to Fort- Amsterdam, will lead to decreased numbers of successful Pelican nesting and incubation, thereby threatening the on island survival of St. Maarten’s national bird and reducing the Pelican’s regional numbers.
While the UK-based company Deep Blue Sea behind this Spirit of Soualiga project advertises its project as “eco-friendly and intended to show case the island’s culture”, fact is placement of the sculptures (which has already taken place to some extent) has and will continue to disturb the marine habitat, further threating native seagrasses and other marine species which are already under pressure of loss to invasive species, pollution and climate change related threats.
Evidence based research suggests that noise pollution and other disturbances resulting from, in this particular case, the increased boat traffic and the amount of people who will be ferried to Little Bay will, to put it simply, chase pelicans away and discourage their nesting activities. The Deep Blue Sea Company’s claim that their “Spirit of Soualiga project” is eco-friendly or an eco-tourism activity is therefore nothing short of false and amounts to green-washing.
Minister Doran’s and Minister Lambriex’s decision to allow development to take place which will ultimately destroy the population of Sint Maarten’s National Bird, the very same species of bird featured on both Sint Maarten’s current National and the St. Martin Unity Flags as well as the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau branding of the island and the Government of Sint Maarten’s Department of Sports “Brown Pelican Awards” is both an ecological atrocity and a betrayal of our National identity as St. Martiners”.
Source: SXM Pride Foundation Facebook page
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