A year ago today, Irma devastated the island of Saint-Martin. If 95% of human constructions have been damaged, nature has also suffered a lot. Receptacles of numerous wastes, the sites of the Conservatoire du littoral were strongly impacted.
Following the call for projects - support for the French Antilles / Post cyclones Irma et Maria launched by the French Biodiversity Agency (AFB), in October 2017, the Coastal Conservatory submitted a file at the beginning of November to carry out a state of locations of the sites and ponds that it protects, make recommendations and carry out the first work to restore ecological functions. This project includes four phases: Overflights, production of aerial photos and films by drones (carried out in early May 2018), an ecological analysis and diagnostic mission (carried out in April and May 2018), site cleaning (in progress), work to restore the ecological functions of the affected areas (to come). The Conservatoire du littoral worked in conjunction with the Interministerial Delegation for Reconstruction, the Prefecture of the Northern Islands, the Collectivity of Saint-Martin, the Fondation de France and the Nature Reserve in order to set up the cleaning operation. On July 2, the third phase began with post-cyclone clean-up work on the affected sites, in partnership with a local company selected as part of a public contract and an integration association (supported by the Fondation de France). This work will continue until December 2018.
The company L&A Transport, holder of the public contract launched by the Conservatoire du littoral in May 2018, has put all the necessary means to the collection and disposal of very large waste located on the sites of the Conservatory. ACED (Association de loi 1901 for the fight against Exclusion and Delinquency), chaired by Audrey Claxton, has signed a partnership agreement with the Conservatoire du Littoral and the National Nature Reserve of Saint-Martin for a project that will take place over a year in two phases. The first phase consists of the post-cyclone clean-up of the Conservatory's sites and the second in the establishment of a mangrove nursery and the restoration of the mangrove with the Nature Reserve. One way to "enhance their action as an agent of biodiversity restoration" suggests Nicolas Maslach, director of the RNN.
Associations or groups of volunteers spontaneously volunteered to clean up the sites. Whatt de 9, Clean Saint-Martin, the Scouts of Belgium, the Scouts of France, of Saint-Martin and some residents of the ponds, under a scorching sun and mainly on weekends, have advanced the cleaning work by their contribution to the collection and sorting of waste. A highly appreciated civic gesture, "It is a very positive message" considers the prefect Sylvie Feucher. Thanks to the mobilization of all these resources, 1 tonnes of waste have been collected, sorted and evacuated for two months.
(More details on www.soualigapost.com)
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