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Nature Foundation St Maarten 3 Partners with Community Members to Host First In-No-Plastic Beach Clean-ups around St. Maarten.
This past week, the Nature Foundation St Maarten partnered with the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) and the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau. This alongside the Real Madrid Foundation to organize two beach clean-ups.
These two clean-ups were a part of the Nature Foundation’s newest project In-No-Plastic and took place on Mullet Bay Beach and Belair Beach. Participants collected a total of 446 kilograms (984 pounds) of debris from the shoreline.
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“AUC and Real Madrid students went above and beyond with picking up the trash. We are thankful for their help and commitment to keeping St. Maarten’s beaches clean. The Real Madrid students were very competitive, with some groups digging out a boat hull from the sand, weighing 30 kilograms (66 pounds),” stated Alice Manley, project coordinator for In-No-Plastic on St. Maarten.
The clean-up with AUC on Saturday July 24th at Mullet Bay Beach, was a part of their Community Action Day, organized by the Phi Chi Medical Fraternity. Community Action Day takes place every semester, and the clean ups are an essential contribution to St. Maarten.
The AUC students used the Nature Foundation’s reusable burlap sacks to collect the litter, picking up a total of 223 kilograms (492 pounds) of trash alongside the road and on Mullet Bay. The litter picked up included plastics, paper, wood, aluminium and various other items.
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The prizes gifted to the teams who picked up the most trash included reef friendly Raw Elements Sunscreen products donated by Agrinature Caribbean.
The clean-up partnered with Real Madrid on Wednesday July 28th, was located at Belair Beach during World Nature Conservation Day. Real Madrid has collaborated with the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau, the Sports Department, and Flames United Football Club SXM to give back to the island’s youth.
Several young students participated in games and competitions while cleaning up the garbage on and around the beach with the Nature Foundation St Maarten.
Collectively, the students picked up an astounding 223 kilograms (492 pounds) of garbage. The litter picked up included car parts, boat parts, plastics, paper, wood, aluminium and various other items. Teams that picked up the most garbage received Nature Foundation prize packs.
Nature Foundation St Maarten
“We would like to thank AUC, Real Madrid, and the Tourism Bureau for their commitment to helping keep our beaches clean.
The In-No-Plastic project will be hosting more events like this around the island. If you are a teacher or a group leader, do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] to organize clean-ups with your students,” continued Alice Manley.
In-No-Plastic is a three-year EU funded project within the Horizon 2020 framework programme, with the goal to develop and demonstrate nano-, micro-, and macro- plastic clean-up technologies in the aquatic ecosystems.
This project will incorporate technical and social strategies on St. Maarten’s lagoons, shores, and shallow sea water. Within this project, the Nature Foundation will bi-annually test the water for micro plastics, host more beach clean-ups around the island, and incorporate a blue economy using an App on Sint Maarten.
An association of 17 partners and 10 different countries in Europe and the Caribbean. The Nature Foundation will work alongside the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), a participating partner with In-No-Plastic. Nature Foundation St Maarten
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The Nature Foundation, St. Maarten together with the Ocean Science Team from Reef Life Foundation launched the IntelliReef Project on St. Maarten in late 2018.
IntelliReefs are Reef Life Restoration (RLR) nano-engineered reef habitats. These use environmentally sustainable minerals as a specific coral species growth substrate, mimicking the complex composition of natural coral reefs.
This means that the material the substrate is made of encourages natural, spontaneous coral growth. Designing and perfecting such material will, hopefully, lead to a higher and faster growth rate of corals in our waters.
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The composition of the IntelliReefs includes exposed aggregates on the surface with small pockets. Within the rocky surface biodiverse coral larvae can attach, be protected and grow.
These structures are designed to survive extreme weather, increased sedimentation levels, and changes to the ecosystem. Such conditions are common after hurricanes and large storms.
The Nature Foundation St Maarten and Ocean Science Team deployed three of these systems into the oceans of St. Maarten at the end of 2018 as a pilot program.
These three systems can be found throughout the Dutch side of the island in different locations with varying depths, water quality and water movement. This will make it possible to see how the substrates preform in different conditions over time.
Nature Foundation St Maarten
In January 2020, a team from Reef Life Foundation returned to St. Maarten to assess and research the 14 month performance of the artificial reef substrates. To read about the progress of the program follow the link below:
During the week of April 11, 2021, members from the Nature Foundation St. Maarten, the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), the Saba Conservation Foundation SCF.
Beneath the Waves conducted multiple ‘scientific firsts’ as part of the “Shark Shakedown” project. The research expedition was a part of a wider research project into tiger sharks in the region funded by World Wide Fund for Nature the Netherlands (WWF-NL) through the Biodiversity Funds and the Dutch National Postcode Lottery.
Nature Foundation St Maarten
The researchers tagged eleven sharks, including for the first time a female pregnant tiger and endangered Caribbean reef shark in the Dutch Caribbean. The data will provide vital information for conservation strategies not only in St. Maarten, but for the wider Caribbean.
The expedition lasted five days in which three species of sharks were tagged, including tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier), Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi), and nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) all ranging from sub-adults to adults.
Participants received hands-on training with experts from Beneath the Waves in preparation for the upcoming expedition to the Saba Bank in August 2021.
The goal of this upcoming expedition is to determine whether the Saba Bank is a breeding area for tiger sharks in the Eastern Caribbean. The high-definition ultrasound technology the team used was created by E. I. Medical Imaging and pioneered by collaborator Dr. James Sulikowski, of Arizona State University.
This technology has successfully been used to identify maturity state and the stage of pregnancy in various shark species, a first for shark science in the region.
Nature Foundation St Maarten
The scientists successfully confirmed early pregnancy stage in a large female tiger shark, as well as placed a satellite tag on the shark during the workup process.
Using satellite tracking over the next few months, the scientists hope to confirm evidence of Sint Maarten being a breeding location for these globally threatened animals.
In another shark tagging ‘first’, Beneath the Waves’ Chief Scientist, Dr. Austin Gallagher, placed the first camera tag on a tiger shark in the Dutch Caribbean. The team successfully recovered the camera package during the expedition, and the animal has already shown promising results regarding shark behavior in the region.
Both the satellite tag and camera tag have shown that these tiger sharks prefer to travel in the area between St. Maarten and St. Barths; however, these are only the first detections. No assumptions can be made yet regarding the movement of these animals.
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The information gained from this research will provide a better understanding of the importance of both the status of sharks in Sint Maarten’s territorial waters and in the Yarari Sanctuary and the role these ecosystems play in the life-cycle of tiger sharks in the wider Caribbean region.
Tiger sharks are currently categorized as Near-Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature while Caribbean reef sharks have very recently been upgraded to Endangered. Sharks play key roles in maintaining the balance within local and regional marine ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity and therefore their protection is crucial.
Follow the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance’s Facebook, Instagram (dcnanature) or DCNA’s website (https://dcnanature.org/news/) to learn more about the shark expedition and other nature news from the Dutch Caribbean.
*Disclaimer* Though we are still in the midst of a pandemic, the partners of this project have strived to ensure all participants were safe to work amongst each other and to continue the important work of nature conservation in the Dutch Caribbean.
For more information please contact the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance by email [email protected] or phone +599.717.5010.
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LATEST CARIBBEAN NATURE CRISIS THE CORAL REEFS LATEST UPDATES:
Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean
Improving coastal resource management and coral reef protection by providing comprehensive information on threats to coral reefs, the value of goods and services provided by these ecosystems, and economic losses that will result from their degradation.
Key Findings
Nearly two-thirds of coral reefs in the Caribbean are threatened by human activities. Integrating threat levels from all sources considered in this analysis (coastal development, watershed-based sediment and pollution, marine based threats, and overfishing).
The Reefs at Risk Threat Index identified about one-tenth of Caribbean coral reefs at very high levels of threat, one-third at high threat, one fifth at medium threat, and one-third at low threat.
An estimated one-third of Caribbean coral reefs are threatened by coastal development. This includes sewage discharge, urban runoff, construction, and tourist development.
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Sediment and pollution from inland sources threaten about one-third of Caribbean coral reefs. Analysis of more than 3,000 watersheds across the region identified 20 percent of coral reefs at high threat and about 15 percent at medium threat from damage caused by increased sediment and pollution from agricultural lands and other land modification.
Marine-based threats to coral reefs are widespread across the Caribbean.
Our indicator of marine-based damage and pollution identified about 15 percent of Caribbean reefs as threatened by discharge of wastewater from cruise ships, tankers and yachts, leaks or spills from oil infrastructure, and damage from ship groundings and anchors.
Overfishing threatens over 60 percent of Caribbean coral reefs. Fishing above sustainable levels affects coral reefs by altering the ecological balance of the reef.
The removal of herbivorous fish, which consume algae, facilitates algal overgrowth of corals. Declines in coral cover and increases in algal cover have been observed across the region. This analysis identified about one-third of Caribbean reefs at high threat from overfishing pressure and about 30 percent at medium threat.
Diseases and rising sea temperatures threaten to damage coral reefs across the Caribbean region.
Diseases have caused profound changes in Caribbean coral reefs in the past 30 years, with very few areas unscathed by disease, even reefs far removed from human influence. In addition, coral bleaching episodes-the most direct evidence of stress from global climate change on Caribbean marine biodiversity-are on the rise.
Ineffective management of protected areas further threatens Caribbean coral reefs. With the growth of tourism, fisheries, and other development in coral reef areas, marine protected areas (MPAs) are an important tool for safeguarding coral reefs.
At present, over 285 MPAs have been declared across the Caribbean, but the level of protection afforded by MPAs varies considerably. The Reefs at Risk Project found only 6 percent of MPAs to be rated as effectively managed and 13 percent as having partially effective management.
Nature Foundation St Maarten
The coastal communities and national economies of the Caribbean region are poised to sustain substantial economic losses if current trends in coral reef degradation continue.
Coral reefs provide valuable goods and services to support local and national economies, and degradation of coral reefs can lead to significant economic losses, particularly in the coastal areas of developing countries, through loss of fishing livelihoods, malnutrition due to lack of protein, loss of tourism revenues, and increased coastal erosion.
Analyses carried out by the Reefs at Risk project indicate that Caribbean coral reefs provide goods and services with an annual net economic value in 2000 estimated at between US$3.1 billion and US$4.6 billion from fisheries, dive tourism, and shoreline protection services.
Executive Summary
Many people in coastal communities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean depend on the natural resources provided by reefs for their livelihoods. Ensuring proper management of the reefs is vital for the economic and environmental health of the region, but there is a lack of quality information about the relationship between human activities and coral reef condition across the region.
The Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean project was a response to this information need. The primary goal of the project was to raise awareness and improve management of coral reefs across the region through improving the knowledge base on the status of and threats to coral reefs.
In collaboration with partner institutions across the region, we implemented an analysis to link human activities with reef condition. A major component of the project involved modeling (estimating) threat to coral reefs from human activities.
Reefs at Risk Caribbean on CD
The CD version of this report includes:
Over 30 spatial data sets reflecting physical, environmental and socioeconomic variables for the Wider Caribbean;
user-friendly map viewing software (ESRI ArcReader);
Detailed country profiles for 35 Caribbean countries and territories
Full technical notes on the threat modeling method;
Technical notes on data sources and methods for the economic valuation;
Complete set of maps in high and low resolution JPEG format.
To order a copy of the CD, contact [email protected].
Downloadable GIS Data Sets
Both download options provide estimates of threat to coral reefs for the four individual threats (coastal development, marine-based threats, overfishing, and sediment and pollution from upland sources), in addition to integrated threat — the Reefs at Risk threat index.
Vector Data Sets (ZIP archive, 20.7 Mb) including data on coral reef locations, estimated threat to coral reefs from human activities, watersheds boundaries, and marine protected areas, all in ESRI ArcView shapefile format in Geographic projection.
This option five polygon data sets reflecting estimated threats from human activities; five point data sets reflecting coral reef locations by these estimated threats.
A polygon data set of watershed boundaries (with associated erosion estimates); a point data set reflecting river mouths and estimated relative sediment delivery; a polygon data set reflecting country boundaries; a line data set reflecting the coastline.
A point data set reflecting cruise ship ports of call. The zip file also includes an ArcView project file (rrcar_vec.apr) which requires ESRI’s ArcView software.
GRID Data Sets (ZIP archive, 32.7 Mb) including data on coral reef locations, estimated threat to coral reefs from human activities, relative erosion rates across the landscape, and bathymetry, all in ESRI ArcView GRID format in Lambert Equal-Area Azimuthal projection.
Nature Foundation St Maarten
This option five GRID data sets reflecting estimated threat to coral reefs from human activities; five GRID data sets reflecting coral reef locations classified by estimated threat; a GRID data set reflecting estimated relative erosion rates across the landscape; and a GRID reflecting Bathymetry. All GRIDs are in Lambert Equal-Area Azimuthal projection.
In addition, the zip file includes several vector shapefiles in Geographic projection – polygon watershed boundaries (with associated erosion estimates), polygon country boundaries, and a point data set reflecting river mouths and estimated relative sediment delivery. The zip file also includes an ArcView project file (rrcar_gr.apr) which requires ESRI’s ArcView software and Spatial Analyst 2.0 extension.
THE CRUISE SHIP LIABILITY IN DESTRUCTION OF CARIBBEAN CORAL LATEST:
Deadly Caribbean Coral Disease Linked To Ship Wastewater
The “greatest declines” in coral in the Bahamas are linked by researchers to the stony coral tissue loss disease, which may be triggered by ship traffic.
- In the latest heartbreaking wounding of the environment, researchers have linked a deadly coral disease in the Caribbean to ship wastewater.
The rampaging blight that first hit Florida’s reefs in 2014 has now swept through the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Maarten and Mexico, reports The Guardian. It’s also been found in 18 other countries.
The infection, known as stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), spreads more quickly than other known coral diseases and can travel up to 55 yards in a single day.
It also has an exceptionally high mortality rate among the most vulnerable species — and it may be the most lethal disease to ever infect coral. More than 30 species of coral are susceptible to SCTLD.
Scientists haven’t yet been able to determine whether the disease is caused by a virus, bacterium, chemical or some other infectious agent.
But a new study of SCTLD in the Bahamas — where it was first seen in 2019 — found that the coral disease was more prevalent in reefs that were closer to the main commercial ports in Nassau and Grand Bahama, suggesting that ship wastewater may be to blame for the disease.
“Spatial patterns of mortality and infection rates for the most vulnerable species were greatest close to international commercial shipping ports on both islands, suggesting SCTLD has been present in those locations for a longer time, and the proportion of healthy colonies increased with distance from the port,” noted the research by scientists from the Perry Institute for Marine Science in the Bahamas, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.
Researchers noted that the “greatest declines” in coral populations in the Bahamas over the past decade may be “attributed to the recent introduction of stony coral tissue loss disease.”
Nature Foundation St Maarten
SCTLD has infected coral off Grand Bahama Island along a 46-mile stretch. “That is a large structure of reef,” said Krista Sherman, senior scientist for the Perry Institute and co-author of the study. “We’re talking about mostly covering the entire southern coastline of the island.”
The International Maritime Organization implemented the Ballast Water Management Convention in 2017 in response to the spread of deadly pathogens by ships when they discharge ballast water.
Under the convention, any ballast water released by ships must be at least 200 nautical miles from shore in water at least 200 meters (656 feet) deep before entering port to ensure the ships do not bring in pathogens.
The Bahamian government has established a national task force to address the issue in a nation where pristine water and beautiful coral reefs are a huge draw in the mighty tourist industry.
Currently, the most effective treatment for the disease is the antibiotic amoxicillin, applied directly to the corals.
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